While tomatoes and cucumbers have already vanished from supermarket shelves over the last few weeks, UK shoppers are bracing for potential shortages of onions. Onion producers are reportedly being forced to slash their planting for the season due to concerns about dwindling water supplies.
As British onions are primarily grown in Lincolnshire, East Anglia, Bedfordshire and Kent, fears are rising that producers will not be able to keep up with demand. Mike Thomas, an NFU spokesman, said: "Water will be a big concern for farmers […] particularly if we don’t get any substantial rain."
Due to dwindling vegetable growth and harvesting in southern England, Thomas said: "retailers are starting to look further north [for supplies]".
The NFU warns that the recent shortages of fresh food that customers have noticed in supermarkets may extend into the summer due to the danger of a prolonged drought and unreasonably high energy costs.
According to Thomas, an onion shortage could mean shortages last "beyond May into the summer".
Source: express.co.uk