Fears of UK chips and roast potato shortage as floods ruin crops for farmers
THE UK is facing a chip shortage after recent floods in Europe ruined potato crops for farmers.
Frozen chips are likely to be particularly affected, although it could also impact roast potatoes for Christmas this year, according to experts.
A market report by Lynx Purchasing, a catering and hospitality buying firm, said a “perfect storm” of inflation, labour shortages, environmental disasters, Brexit and Covid will trigger shortages and increasing prices.
Last month, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands suffered catastrophic flooding that killed hundreds of people and destroyed homes.
An estimated 20,000 hectares of farming land were also damaged in the extreme weather, according to the Irish Farmers Association (IFA).
Rachel Dobson, managing director at LYNX, said: “The recent floods in Europe have affected potato growers and processors in the region, with varieties grown for frozen chips particularly affected.
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She added: “It means that UK pubs and restaurants serving popular dishes like fish and chips could find their usual supplier isn’t able to deliver.
“The shortage abroad is likely to have a knock-on effect on availability of UK-grown potatoes.
“Come Christmas, we could find that the roast potato, a staple of festive dinners, is also in short supply.”
It comes as a report by the IFA this week said Europe’s potato crops have been badly affected by the rain and floods.
Although the crops aren’t ready for harvest yet, farmers are reportedly expecting a smaller and lower quality yield.
The Sun has asked major potato chip suppliers McCain and Aunt Bessie’s how they expect the floods to impact their products and prices.
We haven’t heard back yet so we’ll update this article once we do.
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Potato crops were also ruined by flooding in 2019, leading to fears of price rises of crisps and chips.
Meanwhile, British potatoes including Maris Piper and King Edward “will not exist in 20 years”, according to scientists.
There were also concerns about a turkey shortage for Christmas last year due to a lack of workers to process the birds.
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