UK consumers could face shortages of black tea products due to continued disruption to trade routes in the Red Sea.
A sign in one Sainsbury’s store said: “We are experiencing supply issues affecting the nationwide supply of black tea. We apologise for any inconvenience and hope to be back in full supply soon.”
However, the supermarket only expects shortages for a short period, The Guardian reported.
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It comes as attacks on cargo ships around the Suez Canal, one off the world’s busiest shipping lane, means many vessels are being re-routed from Asia to Europe.
British Retail Consortium director of food and sustainability Andrew Opie said the impact on consumers will be “minimal,” adding that “retailers are not expecting significant challenges”.
The publication contacted other supermarkets, however they did not report any current supply issues or shortages.
Last month, Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts said the grocer was “working hard to make sure that we mitigate any impacts for customers, both in terms of availability, but also we have long term contracts in place on these issues”.
He explained that Sainsbury’s is planning the sequencing of products from Asia Pacific so that it ensures products arrive in the right order.
Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy has also warned that disruption caused by the Red Sea attacks could potentially drive up consumer prices, while M&S boss Stuart Machin said he was “conscious” of delays to stock deliveries.
1 Comment. Leave new
That’s sure sign that consumers and customers will stock pile tea. Give suppliers and supermarkets an excuse to put up tea prices. Let the scaremongering and shortages begin.