We want to keep our customers informed about the current situation affecting fresh produce supply across the UK and Europe.
Over the past few weeks, prices for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other salad vegetables have risen sharply. Unfortunately, this is not a short-term fluctuation. A combination of severe weather events, crop losses and surging energy costs has created significant supply challenges that are expected to last well into April and beyond.
What’s Causing the Shortage?
Storm Damage in Morocco
Morocco’s Souss-Massa region — one of Europe’s largest winter suppliers of tomatoes, peppers and other salad crops — was hit by violent storms on 26–27 February, with winds reaching 100 km/h. Thousands of hectares of greenhouses were destroyed, cutting production by an estimated 50%. Recovery has been slow due to shortages of reconstruction materials and labour, with the region not expected to return to normal output for several weeks.
Poor Season in Spain
Spain’s Andalucía region, the other key source for winter and spring produce, has struggled with unusually cold temperatures throughout the season. Yields in Almería — Europe’s largest greenhouse growing area — are down by around 30%. High humidity has also brought increased disease pressure, further reducing quality and availability. Suspended departures from ports including Tangier have caused additional delays getting produce into the UK.
All tomato varieties have been affected — beef, salad, vine, cherry, cherry vine and plum — along with peppers, cucumbers and courgettes.
Surging Energy and Transport Costs
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have driven a sharp increase in energy prices globally. Natural gas — essential for heating the glasshouses that produce tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in the UK and the Netherlands — has surged dramatically. Red diesel prices are up over 60%, and fertiliser costs are climbing steeply.
The National Farmers’ Union has warned that glasshouse-grown crops such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers will be the first to see the impact, with some UK growers warning they may scale back or halt production entirely if costs continue to rise.
Beyond glasshouse crops, rising fertiliser and fuel costs are expected to push up prices across a much wider range of fresh produce, cereals, dairy and meat over the coming 3–6 months. Industry analysts warn UK food inflation could rise above 8% by June if the situation persists.
What This Means for Our Customers
We are doing everything we can to maintain supply and keep prices as competitive as possible. However, availability may be limited on certain lines, and prices are likely to remain elevated over the coming weeks.
We expect the situation to improve gradually from mid-to-late April as domestic UK and Dutch glasshouse production comes online — though much will depend on energy prices stabilising.
As always, if you have any questions about availability or would like to discuss alternative options, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our sales team.
We’ll continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated.