Rough Weather in Spain Causes Veggie Panic in U.K.
Many Europeans are looking anew at what has historically been an under appreciated food group: veggies. Bad weather has diminished the produce inventory in Spain, which supplies much of Europe with veggies during colder months.
“Salad leaves are the sexiest they’ve ever been,” says Dieter Lloyd, spokesman for the British Leafy Salads Association. Lloyd went from unknown to frequently on-the-air in recent weeks.
“It’s not until you say to people, ‘No you can’t have it,’ that suddenly everyone says ‘but I want it,’” Lloyd said.
Andy Weir, a spokesman for a fresh-produce distributor, said the crisis could help shoppers appreciate the complicated supply chain.
Until they learn, supermarkets are rationing Iceberg lettuce. Shoppers are taking to social media channels to find zucchini. And, there has been a scramble for substitutes.
The British Broadcasting Corp. recently published a guide on “how to cope,” encouraging people to switch to kale.
Source: Wall Street Journal