Supermarkets across the UK are reporting sporadic shortages of strawberries, raspberries, avocados and peppers after weeks of torrential rain in southern Spain and Morocco disrupted harvests and damaged crops.

Assosia data shows sizeable gaps on shelves at major retailers including Tesco, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Asda, with punnets of strawberries particularly hard to find in some stores.

The supply issues follow weeks of heavy rainfall across key growing regions in southern Spain and parts of Morocco, both critical suppliers of fresh produce to the UK during the winter months.

Spain’s state meteorological agency, AEMET, recorded its highest January rainfall since 2001, raising concerns over the viability of some farms. Flooding has reportedly affected around 40,000 hectares of farmland across Spain and Morocco, with the Spanish Association of Agri-food Cooperatives estimating sector losses of at least €35m.

Craig Elliot, market reporter at price reporting agency Expana, said several key producers had faced “heavy rains and even flooding in some areas”, while storm conditions in December created logistical disruption in Morocco.

“In Spain, torrential rain has left crops submerged,” he said. “Although the extent of the damage is yet to be determined, farmers have reported crop damage worth millions of euros across the country.”

The impact is being felt most acutely in soft fruit. The strawberry-producing association Freshuelva has warned exports could fall by as much as 50 per cent year on year, citing storm damage to crops as well as to production and handling infrastructure.

Retailers are now scrambling to manage the disruption. Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said difficult weather conditions in southern Europe and northern Africa had “impacted the harvest for some crops”.

“However, food retailers are adept at managing disruption and will take all necessary measures, including sourcing from alternative sources, to minimise any impact on customers,” he added.

Organic food delivery service Abel & Cole has also flagged supply constraints. Control buying manager Caroline Dodds said bok choi, typically available in January, would not be stocked until March. The business is also experiencing shortages of purple sprouting broccoli, while citrus fruit cannot be picked during periods of heavy rain in Spain.

“There is tighter availability of Mediterranean veg in general as they are not growing on as quickly due to the lower light levels,” Dodds said.

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The shortages come after weeks of unsettled weather across the UK, Spain and North Africa, with the Met Officeforecasting further spells of rain in the days ahead.

While retailers have stressed that the gaps are sporadic rather than widespread, shoppers have been warned not to panic-buy, amid concerns that stockpiling could exacerbate short-term availability issues and drive up prices.

Berries remain a staple of the British weekly shop, used across everything from breakfast and baking to healthier snacking options. But with harvests hit by extreme weather and export volumes set to fall sharply, the supply chain is under renewed pressure at a time when many households are already sensitive to price rises.

For now, supermarkets are leaning on contingency sourcing and supply chain flexibility. However, with climate volatility increasingly disrupting traditional growing calendars, the latest shortages underline the fragility of winter fresh produce supply routes into the UK.