Supermarket giant Tesco has rationed customers to three iceberg lettuces per visit – blaming poor growing conditions in Europe for a shortage in UK stores.
It said bad weather in Spain had caused “availability issues” but suppliers were working to resolve the problem.
Morrisons has also limited shoppers to three heads of broccoli and three iceberg lettuces, the Daily Mail said.
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It follows a UK courgette shortage last month, after wet and cold weather in southern Europe devastated crops.
Customers have posted photographs on social media sites of empty lettuce shelves in Tesco stores, alongside signs asking them to limit lettuce purchases.
One notice read: “Due to continued weather problems in Spain there is a shortage of iceberg lettuce.
“To protect the availability to all our customers, we are limiting bulk purchases to three per person. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
A Tesco spokesperson said it had introduced the limit to ensure its stores did not run out of some products.
A Morrisons spokesman told the Daily Mail it had introduced a cap to stop local businesses and restaurateurs buying up all of its stock.
“As a result of the fact that the Spanish harvest has been very difficult this year, we have just about enough coming in to supply our customers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s told the paper it was working with suppliers “to maintain supply for our customers”.
Dieter Lloyd, from the British Leafy Salads Association, told the BBC that flooding in Spain before Christmas had damaged crops and grounds were then too wet to grow a fresh batch.
The problem was compounded by a cold snap of weather in January.
He said iceberg lettuces currently being stocked in UK supermarkets had been probably grown in California, rather than Europe.
Last month fruit and vegetable wholesaler Nick Padley told BBC News that more than 90% of Europe’s iceberg lettuce came from Murcia, a small region in south-east Spain.
He said: “There’s a gap of about six weeks on iceberg lettuce, nothing is coming from Spain for six to eight weeks.
“Our supplier is now going to be bringing in iceberg from America which is obviously costing more. It’s a tough time.”
The supply of other vegetables – including aubergines, tomatoes, broccoli and peppers – grown in Europe is also down.
The Spanish association of fruit and vegetable producers, FEPEX, said it expected the shortage of leafy vegetables grown outdoors, including lettuce and spinach, to continue until early April.
It said EU-wide production was down by about 40% and warned that increased availability would depend on the climate in southern Europe in February and March.
Experts say a combination of flooding, cold weather and poor light levels in southern Europe created a “perfect storm” for bad growing conditions.
Spain’s Murcia region supplies 80% of Europe’s fresh produce during the winter.
However, after suffering its heaviest rainfall in 30 years, only 30% of Murcia’s growing fields have been useable.
The effects of shortages are particularly pronounced in Britain, which imports an estimated 50% of its vegetables and 90% of its fruit.
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