The UK has recently faced serious problems with the supply of fruits and vegetables, and the shortage of vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, the main ingredients in salads, is increasing. This shortage has already had a toll in the UK, with some supermarkets already imposing temporary restrictions on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli and cauliflower.
According to reports, the British Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Country Affairs, Thales Coffey, has publicly stated that at a time when the UK is experiencing a "salad crisis", people should eat more turnip. In response to a parliamentary question on the 23rd, Coffey said that eating more kohlrabi is a good solution to the current problem. "Many people will eat kohlrabi now instead of necessarily thinking about vegetables like lettuce and tomatoes," she said. But at the same time, she also said: "We must also cherish the characteristics of our country." Consumers also expect a choice of dishes year-round. ”
Kohlrabi, scientific name "turnip", has a spicy taste and is considered "once a dish eaten by the poor" in the UK. As a result, Coffey's remarks were considered by many to be unspoken. But the Downing Street office denied the remarks, saying Coffey was merely elaborating on the importance of "glorifying" British produce. Downing Street also denied claims that Brexit was behind the "salad crisis".
According to reports, a large part of the reason behind the "salad crisis" in the UK is due to poor harvests due to abnormal weather in southern Europe and North Africa. In addition, high energy prices due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict have also led to a reduction in winter production of greenhouse vegetables in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, exacerbating the crisis.
The British government and agricultural experts estimate that the vegetable shortage crisis may continue for at least another month due to multiple factors such as weather and energy prices. Faced with this situation, the British government and supermarkets have taken some measures to try to alleviate the problem of vegetable shortages.
The British government has called on people to eat more local winter vegetables, such as kohlrabi, cabbage, carrots, etc., to alleviate the impact of vegetable shortages. In addition, the UK government has also said it will support local agricultural cultivation to increase the supply of local agricultural products. However, some agricultural experts and growers said that the development of local agricultural cultivation faces many difficulties and challenges due to insufficient government support.
Meanwhile, British supermarkets are also taking some steps to deal with the shortage of vegetables. Some supermarkets have already implemented purchase restrictions to limit the number of vegetables purchased per customer. In addition, some supermarkets have also begun to import some vegetables from other countries to ensure customer demand. However, these measures have also received some criticism, with some arguing that the purchase restrictions are too strict and even some supermarkets have rushed to buy them.
Some agricultural experts and politicians have made some suggestions for solving the vegetable shortage crisis. They believe that the development of local agriculture should be strengthened and the level of agricultural science and technology should be improved to improve the yield and quality of agricultural products. In addition, international cooperation should be strengthened to address the effects of factors such as climate change and weather disasters.