Lousy Southern European weather causes fresh vegetable shortage

Weak Southern European harvests have resulted in smaller supplies of particular types of vegetables for the Belgian and Dutch markets. Supermarket chains not only note the increased price, but also their inferior quality.

More focus on local seasonal vegetables

Fresh spinach seems particularly hard to come by: a rainy fall and the current low temperatures in Spain, Portugal and Italy have resulted in lower quantities and on average, the quality has suffered too. Carrefour has even decided to remove it from its product range for the next few weeks, according to spokesperson Baptise van Outryve in Nieuwsblad. Albert Heijn also advises its customers to switch to frozen spinach. 

The weather has also impacted other items, with lower availability and higher prices as a consequence: tomatoes are 12 % more expensive than last year, while bell pepper’s price has skyrocketed 20 %. Iceberg lettuce and fennel have 50 % price increases, while zucchini even added 80 % to its price point. 

Leaf vegetables grown in open air and unheated greenhouses in Southern Europe, a major supplier for this time of year, have suffered the most and expectations are that the scarcity will continue until the end of February. That is also why several chains are trying to emphasize local, seasonal vegetables, much to the delight of local farmers.