Amid shortage of Moroccan tomatos, UK minister tells people eat turnip
A UK government minister on Thursday suggested people eat more turnips after a shortage of fruit and vegetables saw some supermarkets set limits on customer purchases.
The shortages have been blamed on weather conditions in southern Europe and north Africa.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told lawmakers the shortages were temporary and likely to be resolved within two to four weeks.
She said a good alternative to the food items in short supply might come in the form of local seasonal produce such as turnips.
“It’s important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country,” she said in response to a question in parliament.
“A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about aspects of lettuce and tomatoes and similar, but I’m conscious that consumers want a year-round choice and that is what our supermarkets, food producers and growers around the world try to satisfy,” she said.
Growers and suppliers in Morocco have reported cold temperatures, heavy rain and flooding in recent weeks, which have hit produce volumes.
The bad weather has also affected farmers in southern Spain, has forced the cancellations of ferries thus compounding the supply problems.
A spokesman for Asda, one of the UK’s leading supermarkets, said earlier this week it was “experiencing sourcing challenges on some products” grown in the region.
It has introduced a temporary limit of three of each product on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli and cauliflower.
Rivals Morrisons, Tesco, and Aldi have also introduced some limitations.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street office rejected any suggestion Coffey had been insensitive to suggest that people eat turnips, historically a peasant staple.
Coffey had simply been setting out the importance of “celebrating” British produce, said a statement from his office, also rejecting suggestions that Brexit was to blame for any shortages.
