UK restaurants ditch tomatoes as prices rise

Delivery of tomatoes from Morocco to the UK stopped amid natural disasters and rising prices

How notes Prime economic information agency, citing the Guardian newspaper, this rejection of the product is caused by an excessive increase in prices for it, as well as its catastrophic shortage.

The publication warned the people of Britain to be ready for “pasta without tomatoes and white pizza”. Italian restaurants in the kingdom were forced to abandon the use of tomatoes. The publication notes that “Pasta al pomodoro” may be completely excluded from the menu.

According to the Federation of Italian Chefs in Britain, the price of tomatoes has quadrupled in the past year, from £5 to £20 a case.

Federation Chairman Enzo Oliveri noted that some Italian restaurants in Britain may cease to exist due to rising food prices.

“I see no light at the end of the tunnel,” Oliveri commented on the situation and called for a ceiling on the price of tomatoes.

Earlier, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that British residents were faced with a shortage of tomatoes amid poor harvests in supplying countries. In winter, the supply of tomatoes to Britain is carried out from Morocco, the Netherlands and Spain. After Brexit (the UK’s exit from the European Union), buyers hoped to import from Morocco.

Due to natural disasters and low temperatures this year, the crop in Morocco suffered greatly. Also, the supply was affected by the introduction of severe restrictions on exports from Morocco and the increase in prices for fertilizers after the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.

British supermarkets have imposed restrictions on several types of products – in addition to tomatoes, the list includes cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage and raspberries.