Will there be food shortages in the UK?

[nightowl]

Waitrose didn't seem too bad in terms of tinned stuff. Their own brand products like baked beans (35p) aren't too much more than other supermarkets.

[hobo2]

Tesco Local has everything except loo roll and handwash.
Bottled water depleted though.

Right Tescos update, bear in mind this is one store so...

No
Pasta
Pasta Sauces
Rice
All frozen Veg
Tinned Veg
Tinned Meats
Tinned Soups
Bread
Toilet roll/tissues/wipes
Paracetamol
Soaps/gels etc
Disinfectant

Morrisons is the same bar the frozen veg and tinned meats.

Strangely comfort foods like crisps sodas chocolate, frozen pizzas/chips and alcohol are unaffected in either store.

[itsybitsy]

Tesco Local has everything except loo roll and handwash.
Bottled water depleted though.

Right Tescos update, bear in mind this is one store so...

No
Pasta
Pasta Sauces
Rice
All frozen Veg
Tinned Veg
Tinned Meats
Tinned Soups
Bread
Toilet roll/tissues/wipes
Paracetamol
Soaps/gels etc
Disinfectant

Morrisons is the same bar the frozen veg and tinned meats.

Strangely comfort foods like crisps sodas chocolate, frozen pizzas/chips and alcohol are unaffected in either store.

Scoobie has sent you PM to this new account for your password stuff.

[hobo2]

Thanks Itsy. Just waiting for an email

[dizzydays]

Will be fine as I've plenty flour and yeast. Trouble is my homemade bread is rubbish

What's going wrong with your bread? Can I help? I always make my bread but not as per the usual book instructions as I have rheumatoid arthritis and can't knead for long but it works fine. Maybe your recipe just needs a bit of tweaking...

[jennyjj01]

Strangely comfort foods like crisps sodas chocolate, frozen pizzas/chips and alcohol are unaffected in either store.

Yes. I found that incredible. Any ideas as to why? I can understand alcohol being less affected because of relative price, but I expected much more depletion of crisps and ready meals.? Weird.

[nightowl]

Frozen chips have certainly been clearing out at my local supermarket. Only two bags left when I popped in earlier in the week. Maybe the reason chocolate etc isn't disappearing off the shelves is because people are fixated on meals and haven't considered the potential boredom aspect of being stuck at home yet. I've made sure I've got plenty of crisps and choccie bars.

[grenfell]

I very much doubt it will come to it but perhaps a thought to keep at the back of your mind is animal food. Obviously if one keeps animals then keeping a decent stock in of their food is a good idea , it's delivered on the same lorries as pasta and tins of beans but there is another consideration. A lot of animal food is ok for human consumption if it isn't it has to be labelled as NOT FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION . Tinned and dried dog and cat food might not be hugely palatable to many but won't cause any health problems. Then there is food sold for animals such as horses , sheep and so on. Many are oats and grain , slightly lower quality and normally coarser ground but still edible. It's also normally cheaper and comes in large sacks. As i say i don't think it will come to this or at least not for a long time at the worst but just something to think about.

[Plymtom]

At this point in time the issue is one ( or for 5 anyway) cannot do a whole weeks shopping for numerical restrictions, and unavailable items whether it's a shortage or a panic buying issue, What I will say is that blaming people as panic buying being the issue, where the truth is clearly the system cannot keep up with demand in these circumstances, this is blame shifting on an unheard of scale, at Aldi earlier they said that they have stuff to put on the shelves and can't because they are tied up serving ( same staff do both jobs whilst the ques are short or quiet periods they really get their pound of flesh from the staff)
Likewise the government are putting out lock down instructions to people who ( whilst they say will be helped) do not have stocks at home to last a whole week let alone a fortnight or 12 weeks, hell you cannot go and get things you buy more than 3 or 4 of depending on outlet any more, so you have to go repeatedly to busier shops, even more so schools closing is going to fill the shops with children who cannot be left at home, so far any and every attempt to ease the situation has for many of us exasperated it
Another thought to the prepper's mentality of weathering the storm by using one's preps has in this case highlighted the reality for many of us that stopping shopping normally eats into our buffer, we can see now preps will potentially not last the course, add to that we have the sitting pretty ( if your neighbors notice) makes you stand out as prepared and therefore a target, speaking for ourselves we have to behave as if we are all in the same situation as everyone who has done little or no cupboard filling, despite all being in one or more of the vulnerable groups, the risks of contracting this bug inside that average Aldi or Lidl must be getting similar to the odds of catching it on a bus, train or plane, whilst these places are busier than they have ever been, by the way by the time I was leaving Aldi at 8.35AM they had a person on the door controlling the incoming public's access - understandable because beyond a certain point the till ques hinder those still shopping from moving around and accessing the stock still on the shelves.

So to the OP question in effect there are already shortages which won't change until the supermarkets learn to step up the ante in their supply game, if and when we do that, we'll know what is the case, I suspect by the time they get on top of the supply to the shelves issues, there will remain empty shelves, because the sources will not be able to get ahead of it.

[nightowl]

I very much doubt it will come to it but perhaps a thought to keep at the back of your mind is animal food.

When the dog food runs out I can eat the dog too.

No milk in the Co-op today. Local Asian convenience stores had some but were limiting it to one bottle per customer.