Important Notice — Baby Spinach Supply Disruption

July 2026

We are writing to inform our London customers and partners of current supply difficulties with baby spinach affecting availability and quality across wholesale fruit and vegetable markets.

What’s Happening

The UK is experiencing its third heatwave of 2026, with temperatures reaching 34–36°C following the hottest June ever recorded in Western Europe.

Baby spinach is extremely heat-sensitive. When temperatures exceed approximately 20°C for sustained periods, plants bolt — shooting to seed prematurely, making the leaves bitter, fibrous and unmarketable. Unlike mature spinach, baby spinach leaves are particularly fragile in high heat and humidity, bruising easily during harvesting and handling.

Why Supply Is Tight

• Bolting and crop loss — UK baby spinach fields are showing premature bolting and yellowing, with some crops lost entirely
• Pest damage — Hot weather has driven a surge in beetle and insect activity, causing visible leaf damage
• Irrigation pressure — A dry spring has left reservoirs across south-east England at just 50–60% capacity
• Wider leafy greens affected — Rocket, lettuce, mizuna, watercress and Swiss chard are also under pressure from the same heatwave conditions, tightening supply across the category and driving more demand onto whatever is available

European Supply Under Pressure Too

Import markets that normally supplement UK fresh produce supply are facing their own difficulties:

• Spain — Repeated heatwaves have hit key growing regions in Murcia and Almería, with temperatures exceeding 50°C in parts of southern Spain. Droughts and wildfires have damaged harvests, and Spain accounts for around 7% of UK food imports
• Italy — High temperatures are reducing yields across leafy crop categories, with growers in Campania and Lazio reporting agronomic issues from sustained heat
• France — 72 departments placed on red alert, with record-breaking temperatures and water shortages severely impacting crop production
• Netherlands & Belgium — A late-June heatwave brought temperatures close to 40°C, reducing glasshouse production and causing thunderstorm damage to greenhouse infrastructure

This means the usual European supply that helps balance UK shortages is simply not available this season.

Impact on Your Orders

• Volumes may be reduced depending on weekly availability
• Quality may vary — leaves may be softer and more delicate than usual
• Short-term gaps are possible until temperatures moderate

Outlook

Industry reports rate baby spinach and leafy salads at amber risk level, with conditions described as “extremely challenging” for leafy field crops. Recovery depends on how long the current heatwave lasts.

As your London fruit and vegetable supplier, we are working closely with growers to secure supply and will keep you updated.

— The Eurofrutta Team