The head of the Food and Drink Federation said the days when British consumers could expect to get almost any product they want off the supermarket shelves at any time are over.
Ian Wright, the board’s chief executive, said the shortage of truck drivers is partly due to them switching to online retailers and starting delivering for Amazon and Tesco.
These jobs often have better hours and better pay, he added.
The Farm to Fork supply chain is missing roughly half a million of the four million people who normally work in the industry.
Some of this will come from EU citizens leaving the UK amid the pandemic and Brexit, he said.
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Many companies have reported major problems in their supply chains in recent months, leaving some store shelves empty, or forcing restaurants to remove items from their menus.
“It’s getting worse and it won’t get any better after it gets worse anytime soon,” Wright told audience members at an event organized by the Institute for Government.
He added: “The consequence of the labor shortage is that the just-in-time system that has maintained supermarkets, convenience stores and restaurants – that is, the food arrives on the shelf or in the kitchen when you need it – has not more work exists.
“And I don’t think it will work again, I think we’ll see that we’re now facing permanent bottlenecks. This scarcity does not mean that you will run out of food. “
But like last week when bottled water ran out in the east of England, suppliers will make decisions to prioritize products that will allow them higher margins.
“This is a first world problem. Nobody is going to be completely deprived if they don’t get bottled water, ”Wright said.
“But what is changing now is that in the past, British buyers and consumers would have expected almost any product they would want to have on a shelf or in a restaurant all the time.
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“It’s over and I don’t think it’s coming back.”
Tesco has said the problem is “temporary”.
A spokesperson said: “We have deliveries to our stores every day and while there is a lot to do, we are experiencing some disruption due to an industry-wide shortage of truckers.
“This has resulted in temporary low availability of some products, but we are working hard to fill the shelves.”
Sainsbury’s said, “We know there are some availability challenges due to the demand in some of our stores. We are working to replenish stocks as soon as possible to ensure our customers are getting what they need.”
David Potts, CEO of Morrison, said, “Pet food was pretty scarce, as were carbonated drinks, bottled water, chips and some wines.”
He added, “We’re not immune, but we have more control over the train set.”
A Lidl spokesman said: “Unfortunately, like a number of other retailers, there has been some disruption to our supply chain networks that currently affects only a very limited number of product lines. We apologize for the inconvenience this causes. ” everything we can to solve the problems as quickly as possible and to minimize the impact on our customers. “
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