Food shortages

Food shortages could be permanent for the foreseeable future the FDF warns

A labouring shortage in the food industry means consumers may not be able to find the products they like in supermarkets, an industry boss has warned.

"The just-in-time system is no longer working and I don't think it'll work again," Food and Drink Federation (FDF) boss Ian Wright said in an online statement at the Institute for Government event on Friday. Mr Wright warned that the UK was in for permanent shortages.

However, it didn't mean the country will run out of food, he heavily stressed. But a spokesman for the government said onine it did not recognise claims of permanent shortages. “The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges,” he said. “We are taking steps to support businesses tackle a range of issues, from the pandemic to a Europe-wide shortage of HGV drivers.”

He added that the support included expanding the Seasonal Workers Pilot to 30,000 visas for workers to come to the UK for up to six months, as well as a package of measures to help tackle the HGV driver shortage that will streamline the process for securing a licence.

Supply shortages

The FDF represents more than 800 food and drink companies in the United Kingdom.

Mr Wright continued to say in a online statement that “the UK shopper and consumer could have previously expected just about any product they want to be on the [supermarket] shelf or in the restaurant all the time. “That’s over. And I don’t think it’s coming back.”

And as the sector adapts to structural changes in the labour market, Mr Wright said that firms are having to make decisions over which products to prioritise. 20 "Last week, the whole of the east of England was basically unsupplied with bottled water because it was just not possible for the businesses that move that stuff around to supply that and everything else," he explained.

"So businesses took a decision to prioritise products with a higher margin." According to the FDF, the food and drink industry is short of approximately half a million workers - or one in eight of the total workforce.

He also said the shortage is "driven by a combination of a number of factors". He warned that the resulting supply chain issues are "going to get worse", adding that "it's not going to get better after getting worse any time soon". Several companies including supermarkets, pubs and restaurants have blamed a lack of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) lorry drivers for causing problems in their supply chains, including shortages of some products.

Lorry driver shortages have also have been blamed on EU workers leaving the UK following Brexit as well as during the pandemic and tax changes making it more expensive for drivers from elsewhere in Europe to work or be employed in the UK. Thousands of workers had switched to the online retail sector since the pandemic as it was more profitable at this time. "It's almost certainly the case that one of the main drivers in the lorry driver shortage that we're facing is that qualified HGV drivers have gone into being distribution drivers for Tesco and Amazon, because they're nicer jobs, they don't require you to get up at 4am and they're better paid," So this looks to be a continuing problem for months maybe years to come that we will see food shortages across the South West and the rest of the UK.

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Beetroot, sweet potato and pea samosa rolls

Ingredients

For the spring rolls: 1 red onion, finely diced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 small thumb of ginger, peeled and grated 1 tsp garam masala 1 beetroot, peeled and diced 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced 1 medium white potato, peeled and diced 3 tbsps. Peas Salt to season Rectangular sheets filo pastry 1 tsp nigella seeds Melted butter for brushing 1.Preheat the oven to 220C/ fan 200C

2.Roast the beetroot and sweet potato in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the chunks. 3. Put the white potato in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Drain once tender.

4. Fry the onions on a medium heat until softened and started to colour, then add the garam masala, garlic and ginger. Fry for around one minute. Leave to cool along with the sweet potato and beetroot then lightly mash together.

5. Brush half a sheet of filo with a little butter and fold the length in half. Brush with the butter, place a spoonful of the filling at the edge closest to you, shape into a log. Leave a 1.5-2 cm gap at the edge closest to you and at the sides. Roll away from you, folding the edges inwards to enclose the filling. Keep the remaining pastry covered to prevent drying out. 6. Brush with the butter, sprinkle with the seeds and repeat with the remaining filling and pastry.

7. Bake on a baking sheet, seam-side down, for 15-18 mins until golden and crisp.