Customers could see empty shelves as Christmas dinner staples come under threat
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Popular staples like potatoes and cauliflower could be missing from store shelves with the former predicted to record record low yields of 4.1 million tonnes.
Other items like sprouts and parsnips have also taken a hit but are expected to recover in time for December 25.
Experts warn popular Christmas staples could be missing from our plates this December
The potential Christmas dinner shortage comes after higher-than-average rainfall in October from Storms Agnes, Babet and Ciaran.
Fred Searle, editor of Fresh Produce Journal, told Sky News: “The British potato harvest has been hit hard by heavy rain and flooding in recent weeks, causing delayed lifting and large crop losses. This was preceded by a cold, wet spring and a cool summer with low light levels.
“With the potatoes that are in store, there’s likely to be enough supply to meet demand for the time being, but that might not be the case in the months ahead.”
Lincolnshire farmer Martin Tate added: “There won’t be enough broccoli to supply the Christmas dinner demand.
“Cauliflower is still a problem, and you can expect to see empty trays over the next few weeks but may return to normal before Christmas. After some initial issues, brussels sprouts supplies look like they will be okay.”
The experts pointed out that foods like chips will not be affected with the potatoes used for these being mostly sourced from Belgium.
This comes after one of the country’s largest suppliers of Brussels sprouts, T H Clements, warned that sprouts would be smaller than in previous years.
Speaking with the BBC’s Farming Today programme, company CEO Chris Gedney warned: “Brussels sprouts are likely to be smaller this year as the larger ones tend to fall in the water and rot.”
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