Supermarkets in UK ration lettuce due to supply shortage caused by bad weather

Supermarkets in the UK had rationed lettuce as it became the latest food staple to be hit by a supply shortage after poor harvest due to bad weather in the Mediterranean.

Lettuce varieties such as iceberg, sweet gem and romaine had been limited to three per person and were no longer available for online sale.

The shortage had also led to a sharp price rise as experts warned, if conditions in lettuce-growing countries did not improve, the crisis could continue until April.

Drought followed by flooding and freezing conditions had severely affected growers in southern Spain, even as poor conditions had also hit farmers in Italy, Greece and Turkey.

The lettuce shortage comes after similar restrictions on courgettes. The supplies of salad peppers, broccoli and cabbage supplies had also been affected.

Normally, supplies of half the vegetables on the European market during the winter months came from Spain.

According to Fepex, the largest growers' association in Spain, the extreme conditions amounted to a "force majeure" and the availability of outdoor-grown vegetables would depend on conditions improving in the coming weeks.

A Tesco spokesman said they were "experiencing some availability issues" due to the bad weather in Spain.

Dieter Lloyd, spokesman for the Leafy Salads Growers Association, said, "I think people are getting very surprised by the notion of rationing.

"But generally people don't buy three heads of iceberg, or six packs of baby gem.

"The reason they are doing it (rationing) is because grocers, wholesalers, restaurants, and hospitality outlets were going to the retailers and buying trays of produce.

"The retailers are trying to curb that because they want the produce to be available for customers rather than the hospitality industry or the wholesale market or greengrocers."

Meanwhile, experts had warned that if the adverse weather conditions continued, the problem might persist until April, with customers hit by price rises.