Will there be food shortages in the UK?

[Arwen Thebard]

Will there be food shortages in the UK?

What can you see being in short supply?

When might we see it happening?

Is this an example of what is to come?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OGEM63b30A

[izzy_mack]

There are already, you try buying toilet rolls, hand gel,pasta, paracetamol,uht milk. I expect it will get worse before it gets better. I went shopping yesterday about 5pm and the shelves were remarkedly low in stock. Maybe the staff were absent in numbers big enough to have an impact or maybe people were buying extra. Tescos had not a single tiolet roll but had some pasta, lidl had toilet rolls but not a bag of pasta. Thankfully I have plenty of both.
The other problem which may impact in the future is the wet weather, farmers cannot get into their fields, machinery just sinks in water logged fields and sowing for some is very late or still impossible which is likely to impact yields later in the year.

[Plymtom]

The question is, is there enough slack in the system to cope with increased demand generated by the prospect of everyone needing enough at home to stay at home for 2 weeks ( once?) ? I'd say there will be major problems, the just in time system probably extends right back to the source in most cases. With the crisis looking like being ongoing for months, we cannot sit back and rely on what we have in stock, we have to shop normally ( or perhaps more online and deliberately go at quieter times to places we have to. It's not just about self isolation when you have prepared, it's about insulation from those shortages we know will occur.

Who would have thought toilet roll would become a big issue so soon?........ we did along with everything else getting jumped on in the last week or two. but even we have to attempt to maintain a stock whilst we can.

[grenfell]

The question is, is there enough slack in the system to cope with increased demand

Exactly , it's not a food shortage problem it's a distribution problem . The food that has been panic brought still exists in the same way the food we've brought months ago still exists. Food still exists in warehouses , it's just a question of shifting it around.
As to whether there may be shortages in the long term what with climate change and financial collapse that's a different question .

[Yorkshire Andy]

Never mind cv19

This winter / autumn has been too wet just done a 100 mile cross country drive there's still stubble on the fields the wet weather hampered harvest / collection of straw and fields are still way too wet to put machines on winter wheat is still in the grain store unplanted

[jansman]

I have just done a ten hour shift,and folks have been buying like there's no tomorrow...Don't know what I will sell on Monday.On the plus side,we have no indication from the meat wholesalers of any pending shortages.

I do have to say though,that IF food gets tight,then folks will have to make- do and adapt.Most people can afford to shed some weight,and it might make some of the gluttonous sods appreciate what a good country we live in.No whining,just adapt:

https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1397543

[Yorkshire Andy]

Just been to a farm shop LOTS of potatoes in 25kg sacks £7 each or £12 for 2 I've now got 50kg of Marfona to add to the stock pile (usually have a sack in just got to the end of last year's potatoes from the allotment so needed a top up

What ever your having it will now contain potatoes kids


Years ago my uncle worked on the docks and acquired a 25kg ISH bag of flaked potato... Him and my dad lived on mash for months

[jansman]

I called at the farm to pick up a bale of straw on the way home,and yes,there's loads of spuds and veg about.Mind you,it seems to me that many folks cannot exist without processed crap,and nor can they cook.A bit of a food shortage will help the NHS by causing a bit of weight loss!

[Lone]

I live alone, not a big eater as can’t afford to be anyway.

Only tins and microwave dinners, plus sandwiches, making toast and pot noodles.

No breakfasts, not always a lunch, dinners are definitely not knife and fork jobs, as in proper meals - can’t use cooker or oven.

Don’t smoke, only vice being the occasional takeaway and bottle of whisky.

So, having topped up tins, etc., due mainly when we were going into winter, I’m okay I guess, got a bit of shopping being delivered tomorrow from Iceland, as Tesco deliveries are fully booked for 10 days.

As you can probably tell by my posts, I’ve been pretty much confined to my house and garden due to health reasons for 20+ years...so kinda been self isolated for a very long time...LONE as my username is quite apt isn’t it...already live like a Survivalist.

[nightowl]

It's strange. Even though I've topped up the usual supplies, I still look at them and ponder in a situation like this where you don't really know how it'll develop and how long it'll last for. No matter how much you've got, you're never sure whether it's enough.