Pasta could start to run out on supermarket shelves after a poor harvest of the key ingredient, experts have said.
It follows shortages of several products in recent weeks due to the pandemic, Brexit and supply chain disruptions.
There could also be a shortage of meat in the coming weeks linked to a surge in energy prices.
Now a warning has been issued on pasta, reports The mirror.
Canadian farmers expected to produce 4.2 million tonnes of Drrum wheat – used to make pasta – but now say due to weather conditions they will only produce 3.4 million tonnes.
This follows a similar issue in Europe and the United States already announced this year.
Talk to The grocer , Jason Bull, Director of Eurostar, said: “This is a dire situation affecting all semolina producers and all durum wheat buyers around the world.
“Businesses are buying at record prices and farmers are hanging on to wheat and pushing the prices up. We expect to see shortages on supermarket shelves and increased prices, which will ultimately be passed on to consumers.
“We can also see substitutions where the pasta will be produced with soft wheat flour rather than durum wheat.”
The problem could cause the price of pasta to increase by 25%, according to Walter Zanre, managing director of Italian food company Filippo Berio.
It comes amid a general shortage on the shelves caused by a huge shortage of truck drivers, as well as the energy crisis reducing the supply of carbon dioxide used in food production.
A spokesperson for the British Retail Consortium (BRC), a trade body for stores, said: “We will have to see what happens over the next few weeks. If the government does not intervene, especially with heavy truck drivers, then there could be availability issues in stores. “
A Tesco spokesperson did not comment on the shortages yesterday, but a well-placed source said the supermarket had “good availability in stores and online.”
The source added, “Our frozen deliveries do not use dry ice and are functioning normally. We are liaising with the government to understand their plans and will continue to monitor the situation.”
But Tesco chairman John Allan has already urged people not to panic.
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