Reuters :
Britain is unlikely to run out of essentials like toilet paper in the event of a no-deal Brexit but some fresh fruit and vegetables could be in short supply and prices might rise, warned supermarket bosses on Thursday.
Retailers John Lewis and Co-Operative Group and the government’s reluctant publication of a report late on Wednesday, shed light on what shoppers might expect to find, or not find on supermarket shelves after October 31.
The government has demanded that supermarkets prepare for a potentially chaotic no-deal Brexit by stockpiling food, but supermarket bosses say it is almost impossible to store fresh food for any length of time and people might not find everything they want on the shelves.
Steve Murrells, Chief Executive of the Co-op, said that the firm had secured extra storage space but he expected shortages in some fresh food and subsequent price rises.
“We are very clear on where we think inflation will come through, which will be, in the main, fruit,” he said.
“We would be stockpiling the essential items that you would expect. Water, toilet paper, long life cans.”
Murrells said that fruit like apples, pears, blueberries and strawberries might have to be transported more expensively via air freight from the Southern hemisphere to avoid congested ports.
The availability of vegetables in Britain is also at risk as the European Union provides some 86% of lettuces and 70 percent of tomatoes, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
“Clearly… in short-life fresh produce that’s imported from Europe, that would be harder, if the flow of stock is interrupted,” Rob Collins, the managing director of John Lewis’ supermarket group Waitrose, told reporters.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to take Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal on Oct 31, and has said he will not ask for a delay despite lawmakers voting that he seeks one to avoid a no-deal Brexit.
Britain is unlikely to run out of essentials like toilet paper in the event of a no-deal Brexit but some fresh fruit and vegetables could be in short supply and prices might rise, warned supermarket bosses on Thursday.
Retailers John Lewis and Co-Operative Group and the government’s reluctant publication of a report late on Wednesday, shed light on what shoppers might expect to find, or not find on supermarket shelves after October 31.
The government has demanded that supermarkets prepare for a potentially chaotic no-deal Brexit by stockpiling food, but supermarket bosses say it is almost impossible to store fresh food for any length of time and people might not find everything they want on the shelves.
Steve Murrells, Chief Executive of the Co-op, said that the firm had secured extra storage space but he expected shortages in some fresh food and subsequent price rises.
“We are very clear on where we think inflation will come through, which will be, in the main, fruit,” he said.
“We would be stockpiling the essential items that you would expect. Water, toilet paper, long life cans.”
Murrells said that fruit like apples, pears, blueberries and strawberries might have to be transported more expensively via air freight from the Southern hemisphere to avoid congested ports.
The availability of vegetables in Britain is also at risk as the European Union provides some 86% of lettuces and 70 percent of tomatoes, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
“Clearly… in short-life fresh produce that’s imported from Europe, that would be harder, if the flow of stock is interrupted,” Rob Collins, the managing director of John Lewis’ supermarket group Waitrose, told reporters.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to take Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal on Oct 31, and has said he will not ask for a delay despite lawmakers voting that he seeks one to avoid a no-deal Brexit.
