CRUNCH talks with supermarkets yesterday failed to solve Britain’s salad crisis, as Lidl became the latest store to ration veg.
In a conference call yesterday food minister Mark Spencer demanded to know “what store bosses are doing to get shelves stocked again”.
GettyDiscount grocer Lidl has put limits on cucumbers, tomatoes and pepper following bad harvests overseas[/caption]
However sources said there is no quick fix as it would take around four weeks to grow new crops in the UK.
One said: “We’ve had so many conversations with the Government already, there’s not a lot they can do to fix it in the time frame.”
Mr Spencer said: “I have asked retailers to look again at how they work with our farmers and how they buy fruit and vegetables, to further build preparedness for these unexpected incidents.”
It comes as discount grocer Lidl put limits on cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers.
It joins Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Morrisons in rationing.
Supermarkets have blamed bad weather and poor harvests in Spain, Turkey, Morocco and Egypt, where they typically get fresh produce in winter.
However growers here claim supermarkets have not paid enough to homegrown suppliers to cover rocketing energy costs.
As a result, many did not plant and supermarkets have had to rely on imports.
The National Farmers’ Union said it has left the UK vulnerable to “shock weather events”