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Vegetable shortage costs UK supermarkets £8million in a month as supplies of lettuce almost halves
THE vegetable shortage in Europe cost UK supermarkets at least £8million last month, experts say.
Courgette sales fell 58 per cent.
And spinach and salad — including iceberg lettuce — nearly halved after storms devastated crops in Spain.
The figures cover Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Co-op Food, M&S Food, Iceland and Ocado.
Some stores have been rationing greens.
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5Martin Wood, of retail analysts IRI, said: “Production problems in southern Europe are starting to impact sales quite dramatically.”
Supplies of courgettes, tomatoes, broccoli and peppers have also been hit by the Mediterranean weather leaving some supermarket shelves empty.
Shoppers have been warned the shortage could last as long as two months.
The Sun on Sunday revealed how market traders were taking advantage by selling broccoli for a hefty £5 per kilo.
Supermarket giant Tesco has rationed customers to three iceburg lettuces per visit in the wake of the vegetable shortage.
Sainsbury's has also rationed the amount of lettuces to three per customer while Morrisons has limited it to just two.
It was revealed earlier how Spanish supermarkets have been secretly hoarding massive stockpiles of vegetables while Brits face veg rationing.
One shopper tried their luck by listing 12 lettuces for £50 on Gumtree.
Other cheeky eBay users have tried to flog greens for up to £500.
Vegetarians were warned of rising food bills with restaurants are expected to up the price of veggie burgers in the wake of the shortage.
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