How has the increase in the cost of living in UK affected the quality of life of the British?
What has been the damage of labor shortage in UK?
How has Brexit affected the labor shortage in UK?
What has been the impact of the Ukraine war on the increase in prices in UK?
A report by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) shows that at least £22 million of fruit and vegetables have been wasted so far this year, and £60 million of food has been wasted on farms due to labor shortages. UK is the first country in Europe to enter a period of economic recession and the inflation rate has reached the highest level in the last half century with a five-fold jump. The food shortage warning in the UK is worrying.
The skyrocketing cost of living in the UK
Unions have issued a food shortage warning in the UK. Tom Bradshaw, deputy chairman of the National Farmers’ Union of UK, said: “It’s nothing short of a travesty that quality, nutritious food is being wasted at a time when families across the country are already struggling to make ends meet because of soaring living costs.” According to a union study of farmers, 40 percent complained that they suffered losses due to the lack of pickers, losing only 22 million pounds of fruits and vegetables from January to June.
Harms of labor shortage in UK
The food shortage warning in the UK is worrying. The National Farmers Union of UK said 40 percent of respondents to a survey of its members said they had suffered losses as a result of labor shortages. These problems were exacerbated by some employees not showing up for work or leaving early. As its survey shows just a third of the UK’s gardening sector, £60m of food could be wasted.
Brexit and labor shortage in UK
Food shortage warning in the UK due to Brexit. Brexit has contributed to the shortage by making it more difficult for farms to hire workers from EU countries, and freedom of movement ended after Britain left the union. Ukrainians temporarily filled the gap to some extent, but since Russia invaded their country in February, many have been trapped in their homeland.
Recruitment of labor from other countries
Food shortage warning in the UK comes after UK’s labor force is cut. To overcome shortages, the UK has been forced to recruit from countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Uzbekistan, as well as South Africa. “With the demand on the Seasonal Workers Scheme expected to increase again next year, it’s vital the scheme has the capacity to facilitate the people the sector needs to pick, pack and process the country’s fruit and vegetables,” Bradshaw said. The union says expanding UK’s seasonal workers scheme is vital to ensure a repeat of what Bradshaw called “devastating levels of food waste next year”.
The need for easy access to labor
The food shortage warning in the UK is due to the fact that labor has become difficult to access. UK offered around 38,000 visas for seasonal workers this year, but the sector says it needs twice as many, to 70,000. “This survey has demonstrated just how crucial it is for fruit and veg growers to have access to the workforce they need,” Bradshaw said. James Smith, developed markets economist at ING, believes that economic recession in UK is a possible option.
The impact of the war in Ukraine on the increase in prices
Food shortage warning in the UK has increased after the war in Ukraine. The results of the research show that the war in Ukraine has caused a sharp rise in food prices, a shortage of some food items, and the implementation of rationing policy in British stores. According to the research of market research company GfK, the volume of retail sales decreased by 1.4% in March compared to February, which is worse than the forecast of economists. According to this institute, consumer confidence has reached its lowest level in the last 50 years.
Lack of food in chain stores
The food shortage warning in the UK has put British chain stores in trouble. Most of the chain stores in UK are facing a shortage of food these days, especially edible oils, and for this reason, they have started rationing it. Tesco, the second largest store chain in UK, has limited its customers to buy three bottles of oil, while two other chain stores known as Morrisons and Waitrose have limited people to buy two items.
Sharp increase in demand for food
Most of UK sunflower oil comes from Ukraine. Disruption in the export chain of this food item from Ukraine has led to its severe shortage in the UK and increased demand to find alternative sources. The UK Retail Consortium claimed the restrictions were a temporary measure to ensure food is available to everyone. But it is said that in addition to sunflower oil, olive oil and vegetable oil are also facing severe shortages in chain stores, supermarkets and retailers. Online shoppers are also facing similar restrictions.
Reducing the variety of food products in stores
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has told consumers that some products labeled as containing sunflower oil may actually contain substitutes such as rapeseed oil. A one-litre bottle of sunflower oil has risen by an average of 12p (10%) to £1.26 since January 2022, according to Assosia research. The price of five-liter oil has increased by 38 pence, a 6% increase.
Decline in UK economic growth
Of course, the lack of food is not limited to edible oils and according to observations, the shelves of many summer items, grains and vegetables are generally empty. Store managers consider the war in Ukraine to be one of the causes of food shortages. This is while, according to the studies, the UK economy dropped by a significant distance from the expected level last month and practically did not experience any growth.
Lack of eggs in UK stores
The outbreak of bird flu and the death of millions of chickens due to extreme heat this summer has caused the lack of eggs to be added to the list of crises in UK. Egg shelves in stores all over UK are mostly empty or a small number of this product is sold in rationed form. Store chains such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Lidl have put up notices warning of egg supply problems.
The problems of bakeries and pastry shops in UK
Customers of Lidl store can buy up to three boxes of eggs from one branch, and the shelves of Sainsbury’s and Aldi stores are also empty. Eggs, which are one of the main items of “English breakfast”, are removed from the menu of many restaurants and other items are served instead. Bakeries and pastry shops are also facing a serious problem of lack of eggs to prepare their products.
The reasons for the lack of eggs in British stores
Last August, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs expressed concern about the consequences of the death of a significant number of laying hens due to heatstroke. The heat of the air in UK exceeded 40 degrees Celsius for the first time this year, and this situation, in addition to extensive disruptions in the country’s transportation system and the fire of dozens of buildings in the capital and several cities, caused the death of more than 3 thousand citizens in this country. .
A significant jump in the cost of animal feed and grain
But the problem of egg shortage in UK, in addition to the heat and the spread of influenza, has been aggravated by the withdrawal of a number of farmers from this industry due to the problems of economic growth, and the number of laying hens has been lower than ever. Farmers in UK are facing a significant jump in the cost of feed and grain, which has intensified since the start of the Ukraine war. Egg shortages have raised serious concerns about further rationing of the product as people grapple with a cost-of-living crisis and unprecedented inflation.
UK inflation increases as the Ukraine war continues
Probably, the Bank of England will raise the interest rate before this summer due to the increase in inflation. The inflation rate in UK has reached 8.8% from an average of 2% last year due to the consequences of the country’s exit from the EU, the Covid-19 epidemic and the increase in fuel prices in recent weeks. Experts have warned that with the continuation of the war in Ukraine and the increase in the price of basic goods, the inflation rate will experience a further increase.
While British officials have said there is enough food in stores, industry groups are warning of shortages of some fresh food from next week. British industry groups have warned that the country will face severe shortages of some fresh food from next week if freight routes do not resume. This is while the officials have said that there is enough food in the stores at the moment.
