Supermarkets have seen turnip shortages as environment minister, Thérèse Coffey urged Brits to opt for the product amid the current vegetable crisis.
Coffey told parliament: “It’s important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country. A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about aspects of lettuce and tomatoes and similar.”
According to reporting by the Independent, as a result, turnips are now out of stock online and in select stores at both Waitrose and Tesco.
Don't want to cause any panic here – but I've just been to my local @Tesco and they appear to be running low on #Turnips
— John W Hayes (@john_w_hayes) February 24, 2023
Warning, shortage of #Turnips in #Tesco today, thank you #ThérèseCoffey 🙂 pic.twitter.com/w1M11Oi4PV
— Lyndsay Williams (@lyndsaygirton) February 23, 2023
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Shoppers at Waitrose have also been quick to tweet that their local stores have limited availability of turnips, with the upmarket retailer pointing them in the direction of select stores which currently offer the vegetable.
Hello, Michael ☺️ Your next nearest store currently stocking turnips would our Kingston shop. Hope this helps – https://t.co/im2GP1uWcB ^Nicola
— Waitrose & Partners (@waitrose) February 24, 2023
Turnips are the latest of a range of vegetables to go missing from supermarket shelves this week, as fresh produce including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and onions have also been out of stock across the country.
While British Retail Consortium director of food and sustainability, Andrew Opie, has attributed the shortages to “difficult weather conditions in the South of Europe and Northern Africa,” supplies from British farms have also been suffering as many farmers have cut back due to the rocketing costs of heating greenhouses.
Speaking in the house of commons yesterday (23 February), Coffey added that, while she hoped the shortages would be a “temporary issue”, she expected the situation to “last about another two to four weeks”.
“It is important that we try and make sure that we get alternative sourcing options. That is why the department has already been in discussion with the retailers.”
