Asda and Morrisons sell tomatoes and broccoli rationally

Foods such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are among those restricted by the grocery chain.

It comes after photos of empty store shelves surfaced on social media in recent days.

Many of them are fresh eraw and vegetable products are imported from abroad, from elements like lettuce, lettuce bags, broccoli, cauliflower and raspberries are also at risk.

(PA) The UK appears to be experiencing a shortage of fresh fruit and vegetables (Image: PA)

Why is there a shortage of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers?

The shortage is blamed on extreme weather conditions in Spain and North Africa, very important regions for growing these products.

Extreme weather conditions include flooding, snow and hail, affecting harvests and deliveries.

An Asda This was reported by the press secretary BBC: “Like other supermarkets, we face problems in finding some products that are grown in southern Spain and northern Africa.”

High energy prices are also to blame lack of farmers in Great Britain and the Netherlands have reduced the use of greenhouses for growing winter crops because the cost is too high.

The European heat last year also caused problems with the production of onions, which are usually grown in the summer and put into storage.

READ MORE: Why are tomatoes in short supply? Morrisons and Tesco faced shortages

How long will the shortage of fresh fruits and vegetables last?

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said the disruption was expected to last for “several weeks”.

Adding that supermarkets “know how to deal with supply chain issues and work with farmers to ensure customers have access to a wide range of fresh produce”.

“Many individual factors” that cause the deficit

Nigel Janney, chief executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium, which represents hundreds of businesses, said: “There were a lot of individual factors”, adding that growers were hit by “weather, fuel costs, packaging and distribution costs, energy costs”.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the UK has been particularly hard hit by the shortage, with little sign of empty shelves in other European countries.

Experts believe the UK could suffer more due to reduced domestic production and complex supply chains.