Features / Food
Lettuce not panic
Due to poor weather in southern Europe, the UK is experiencing a lettuce shortage. There have been reports of rationing as supermarkets only allow customers to buy up to three lettuces at one time.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The weather has impacted other vegetables including broccoli. Stocks of courgettes are also low after the UK shortage in January.
I’m not saying #courgettes are in short supply but we’ve had to put security on ours today!! #courgettecrisis pic.twitter.com/dRRbodmZrM
— nick matthews (@totalbristol) January 18, 2017
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However, finding plentiful stocks of lettuce, courgettes and broccoli wasn’t too difficult in Bristol on Friday if you avoid supermarket chains and shop local instead.
At Khan Food Stores on Stapleton Road, lettuces were piled up in large bags outside. There were also several boxes of lettuce stacked inside.
“You can buy as many as you want,” said shop assistant Sherkhan, as some large supermarkets limited them to three per customer.
At Al-Noor Supermarket on Fishponds Road there were lots of lettuce still available outside, and asking whether you’re allowed to buy more than three at once might result in odd looks and someone asking if you’re okay.
SSA Wholesale on Fishponds Road was displaying plenty of lettuce outside on Friday and Almadina on Stapleton Road also had no signs of rationing.
Vegetable shortages will undoubtedly cause more shops to borrow supermarket’s technique of rationing in the following week or so.
The weather in southern Europe is extreme, with the Spanish town of Alicante seeing snow for the first time in decades, and lots of crops have been damaged.
The crisis is not likely to be solved quickly. But if you’re on the lookout for lettuce in Bristol, you might do better to shop local.
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