Vegetable preparation companies have recently been struggling to meet the demand for vegetables due to the impact of cold and bad weather in southern Europe. "The shortage has been particularly severe in the case of lettuce. The issue has not been solved yet, but things are now a bit better," explains buyer Coos Hessing, of Hessing Super Fresh. "At first, it was difficult for customers to accept the situation, but when they found that no one was able to supply the vegetables, they were more understanding."
"There have simply been too many cold days, and what's most bizarre about this situation is that it has hit all of south-eastern Europe. We had seen this before, but you'd need to go back to fifteen years ago," continues the buyer. "Normally, we get Iceberg lettuce weighing 500 to 600 grams, but the ones harvested now weigh 400 grams. We were at about 75-80% of the volume that we can normally supply, but happily, this figure has now increased. For the past few weeks, all I've done is look for vegetables in Spain and Italy. We have also imported some Iceberg lettuce from the United States and Egypt. Buying more is not always easy, but with money, you can get everything!"
"It has been a matter of puzzling every day. I had never experienced such an extreme situation," affirms Jantine Heemskerk, of the vegetable fresh cutting company W. Heemskerk, when talking about the recent vegetable shortages. "Of course, our buying policy has been planned to reduce risks and we have several regular suppliers for each product, but if there are problems everywhere, there is not much you can do."
"Every year, there is product that is difficult to find, but this year the situation has badly affected all southern European countries," explains Jantine. "If the products are really not to be found, we try to find alternative suppliers. That is why we are also currently purchasing from many countries outside Europe, such as Egypt and the United States. But if there is no such option, all you can do is supply for fewer days."
Reduced supply
"We are in daily contact with our suppliers, but there's also not much they can do if their crops have been affected by rainfall or snow. In fact, all products have been problematic lately, but only the items you need the most give you the biggest problems. This has been the case of Iceberg lettuce, Lamb's lettuce, spinach, endive and baby leafs. Fortunately, we didn't need to completely stop selling any vegetable, but our supply has been reduced."
"What makes things difficult for us is that sometimes you see smaller heads of lettuce in stores sold for a higher price. For us, the net profit is smaller in that case, especially if you need to throw half of it away because the quality is not up to the desired standard. Moreover, there can also be a spike in demand, which takes a toll on the entire buying process. Of course, we get critical questions from our retail customers, but generally there is certainly an understanding of the situation. If you are the only one unable to meet the demand, then you know you have not been well-organised, but at the moment everyone is affected by the same issue."
"We request daily updates and we give that information back to our customers, so that they, in turn, can inform the stores about the situation. Having access to this information is important for a proper planning. Fortunately, we see that the situation is improving this week. There is a better supply of endive and spinach and that of Lamb's lettuce will also improve towards the end of the week. But we have no guarantees and the weather should also be favourable. In many cases, the crops could not suffer another blow!"