Major UK supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose, have introduced dedicated ranges for wonky and imperfect vegetables to help reduce food waste.
Calum Kelly, Waitrose’s produce technical manager, said extreme weather conditions had led retailers to relax size and shape standards for certain vegetables. This allows more crops to reach supermarket shelves while providing additional income for British farmers and growers.
If the drought continues, baking potatoes could be smaller than usual during this year’s harvest. However, shoppers can still expect the same quality and taste, even if some vegetables look less uniform due to the ongoing heatwave.
Despite these measures, supermarkets may not be able to replace every shortage with wonky produce. Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said retailers were increasing food imports as domestic UK supplies became limited.
He explained that supermarkets faced the challenge of supporting British agriculture while ensuring customers could still find the products they expect to buy in stores.
The supply pressures are expected to continue into autumn, with crops such as cherries also potentially affected by drought and extreme weather across the UK.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk