A range of factors continue to disrupt supply chains including the war in Ukraine, labour shortages, increased costs of production, extreme weather conditions and the cost-of-living crisis. This is covered in more detail in our free Viewpoint report. Download it here.
Availability concerns remain high
In the latest consumer research conducted for IGD (17-19 February 2023), two thirds of adults (67%) experienced shortages of some food and groceries in-store or online recently. This is still high and compares with just 50% in July’21.
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The chart above still shows that the trend over the last year is higher overall.
Fresh produce and eggs shortages driving availability concerns
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Availability concerns are increasing the most for dairy including eggs (34% compared to 18% in September). Record numbers of avian flu cases coupled with increased costs of production has led to supply chain disruption for eggs.
In response, a number of supermarkets introduced restrictions on the number of eggs customers can buy.
23% claim to have experienced shortages of fresh produce compared to 18% last month. Extreme weather conditions in Spain and north Africa have affected harvests. Some supermarkets have introduced limits on some fruit and vegetables. These shortages are expected to last a few weeks until the UK growing season begins.
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Availability concerns for diary including eggs and fresh produce differ by region. Availability concerns for dairy is highest for those living in the South East (43%), South West (40%) and London (40%).
Availability concerns for fresh produce is highest for those living in Wales (36%) , Northern Ireland (36%) and the South West (35%).
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