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Food

Oh yes, we have no tomatoes !

(402 Posts)
Mazgg Sat 18-Feb-23 18:12:04

When I placed my online order last week I couldn't get any tomatoes. Today I visited my local supermarket which usually have a large selection of tomatoes only to find all the shelves bare. Staff were unable to offer an explanation. Have I missed something?

Deedaa Fri 24-Feb-23 21:00:07

Well I normally use tinned tomatoes for cooking anyway Oreo you can't get fresh ones with enough flavour for cooking in the winter. Up until yesterday Aldi had lovely baby San Marzano from Italy but even they have gone now. If you think this is nothing to do with Brexit you must be reading the wrong papers.

Oreo Fri 24-Feb-23 20:49:30

Sorry Mamie but it just ain’t Brexit😄
There’s plenty to read on this subject in the newspapers here in the UK.
No shortage either for many of us here btw I go to the Co-op and M&S and markets in town squares here in England, and have as many tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers as I like.
DD has Ocado delivery each week and also gets the salad items she wants.
It will be a short lived ‘problem’ anyhow and in the meantime if you can’t live without a tomato get tinned ones.🍅

Loved the pic of Theresa Coffey as a turnip Casdon just as good as the Liz Lettuce😂

Joseanne Fri 24-Feb-23 20:20:22

It caused all sorts of problems when Brussels bureacrats wanted to give the famous Cornish pasty protected regional status. Swede or turnip? We also use rutabaga down here.

Casdon Fri 24-Feb-23 20:05:10

Callistemon21

Casdon

You have to laugh, the Daily Star is on the money again.

Q When is a turnip not a turnip?

A When you live in Devon and it's really a swede but they call them turnips 😁

I bought a swede today, the orange type, not the white and pink one.

I think Therese Coffey meant when is a tomato not a tomato - when it’s a turnip? I’m not keen on swede either, and I can take or leave carrots and parsnips. I do like tomatoes though. Think I might need to leave the UK if root vegetables are our future.

Callistemon21 Fri 24-Feb-23 19:57:36

www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/sep/20/we-pick-your-food-migrant-workers-speak-out-from-spains-plastic-sea

Callistemon21 Fri 24-Feb-23 19:54:20

the exodus of agricultural labour from Eastern Europe

I thought African workers picked the tomatoes in Spain and were underpaid and lived in dreadful conditions?

What price a tomato?

Callistemon21 Fri 24-Feb-23 19:52:28

Casdon

You have to laugh, the Daily Star is on the money again.

Q When is a turnip not a turnip?

A When you live in Devon and it's really a swede but they call them turnips 😁

I bought a swede today, the orange type, not the white and pink one.

Iam64 Fri 24-Feb-23 18:57:12

And in future - always used to but got busy, I’ve more time now. Our markets are so good, we get coach trips 🌞

Iam64 Fri 24-Feb-23 18:56:06

Our local markets have no shortages of fresh produce. I’ll be shopping there tomorrow

Mamie Fri 24-Feb-23 05:45:43

Oreo

paddyann54

A friend from just outside of Paris sent me a picture of shelves groaning with fruit and veg ,,including several varieties of Tomatoes .She says no shortage and they cost 1 40 a kilo .
Apparently drivers dont want to come to the UK too much paperwork and queues often of 70 hours so they just refuse.

Thats not bad weather its Brexit!!

Sigh.
It’s NOT Brexit, it’s not Brexit, it’s not Brexit! However much some people wish it to be.
Just read that it’s going to be a short shortage😄anyway.
M&S say they have sourced salad veg from other places, so are ahead of the game.

So Oreo if it is nothing to do with Brexit at all how come we have full shelves with plenty of fruit and veg from Morocco and Spain and you don't?
We are only just the other side of a short stretch of water.
There are clearly other factors involved, but delays for imports because of additional checks and paperwork and the exodus of agricultural labour from Eastern Europe must have had an impact. That is Brexit.

Casdon Thu 23-Feb-23 23:33:40

You have to laugh, the Daily Star is on the money again.

Oreo Thu 23-Feb-23 21:32:23

paddyann54

A friend from just outside of Paris sent me a picture of shelves groaning with fruit and veg ,,including several varieties of Tomatoes .She says no shortage and they cost 1 40 a kilo .
Apparently drivers dont want to come to the UK too much paperwork and queues often of 70 hours so they just refuse.

Thats not bad weather its Brexit!!

Sigh.
It’s NOT Brexit, it’s not Brexit, it’s not Brexit! However much some people wish it to be.
Just read that it’s going to be a short shortage😄anyway.
M&S say they have sourced salad veg from other places, so are ahead of the game.

Norah Thu 23-Feb-23 21:25:21

Joseanne

Norah

We had a nice pick of cherry toms. Over-wintered in the workshop. Maybe that's my future/forever tomato source?

Source or sauce?!

Source!!

Patsy70 Thu 23-Feb-23 20:58:01

I think we’ll manage with or without tomatoes! My parents did in the 40s/50s so why shouldn’t we? Anyway, we grow our own! So much more to worry about! 🤷🏻‍♀️

paddyann54 Thu 23-Feb-23 20:52:17

A friend from just outside of Paris sent me a picture of shelves groaning with fruit and veg ,,including several varieties of Tomatoes .She says no shortage and they cost 1 40 a kilo .
Apparently drivers dont want to come to the UK too much paperwork and queues often of 70 hours so they just refuse.

Thats not bad weather its Brexit!!

Joseanne Thu 23-Feb-23 20:08:44

Norah

We had a nice pick of cherry toms. Over-wintered in the workshop. Maybe that's my future/forever tomato source?

Source or sauce?!

Norah Thu 23-Feb-23 20:06:46

We had a nice pick of cherry toms. Over-wintered in the workshop. Maybe that's my future/forever tomato source?

Callistemon21 Thu 23-Feb-23 20:04:38

cornergran

All present and correct in M&S food today. Everything well stocked. Luck of the draw I guess.

Perhaps M&S are prepared to pay a fairer price to the producers.

Callistemon21 Thu 23-Feb-23 20:03:51

Mamie

Actually Jerusalem artichokes would be better. Easy to grow, provide fuel for the car and hot air to warm the house (bit smelly).

I've never tried one.
My mother would eat any vegetable except Jerusalem artichoke which she said she tried and loathed!

cornergran Thu 23-Feb-23 20:02:35

All present and correct in M&S food today. Everything well stocked. Luck of the draw I guess.

M0nica Thu 23-Feb-23 19:42:41

We arrived in France today (Normandy) and I have made my fitst visit to the ocal supermarket. There was no shortage of vegetables and plenty of tomatoes. However they were all expensive.

maddyone Thu 23-Feb-23 19:12:01

I’m pleased to hear you’re not furious about the lack of tomatoes, and other crops, because it seems to me to be pointless to be furious about it. No need to apologise and I do hope you recover soon from your illness. I’m not sure any government can do very much about weather conditions but I agree that the government’s failure to reimburse farmers for their lost EU subsidy as promised if we left the EU is definitely problematic. Also the problem of attracting workers to pick the crops is problematic and these two issues need prompt attention in my opinion. I don’t want to elevate this problem to huge heights though as I feel there are much worse things going on in the world. I’m just watching an interview with Zelensky on BBC2 and it brings home to me how unimportant a shortage of tomatoes and other fresh vegetables are in the greater scheme of things, so long as we do have food to eat.

Mamie Thu 23-Feb-23 19:01:51

Actually Jerusalem artichokes would be better. Easy to grow, provide fuel for the car and hot air to warm the house (bit smelly).

HousePlantQueen Thu 23-Feb-23 18:27:17

MaddyOne, I am not furious about not being able to get hold of tomatoes because (a) due to illness I haven't been shopping so do not know local availability and ,(b) it would be completely ridiculous and selfish to compare this irritation to the tragedy befalling so many millions of people, and I apologise if my post made it appear I felt that way.
What I am furious about is the government's inability or unwillingness to deal with the factors which are causing/will cause food shortages; lack of help with fuel and fertiliser costs for farmers and growers, lack of staff to pick said crops when they do grow, disregard of effect of weather conditions on crops in Europe and, inevitably, Brexit.

Casdon Thu 23-Feb-23 18:05:15

Jaxjacky

Yes Casdon Sky like their headlines, same as other press sites, I like to dig underneath. Mind you the daft woman also said:
‘We know that one of the best ways for people to boost their income is not only to get into work if they are not in work already, but to work more hours or get upskilled to get a higher income’ that’ll help tomorrow’s shopping bill, not.

Her sensitivity radar is non existent - apparently it was Sir Ed Davey who accused her of a ‘let them eat turnips’ strategy.