Minister: Britain Has Plenty of Food, No Need to Worry

Food in Britain is plentiful and shoppers should not be concerned about supermarkets running out of supplies, Interior Minister Priti Patel said on Tuesday. But industry groups repeated warnings of shortages of some fresh produce from next week unless freight routes to mainland Europe are swiftly restored.

On Monday Britain’s biggest supermarket groups, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, warned that gaps will start to appear on British supermarket shelves within days if transport ties with mainland Europe were not quickly restored.

But Patel played down those concerns.

“I don’t think anybody should be worried – there is plenty of food in our shops,” Patel told LBC.

She said she had not yet been shopping as she was working every day. She said she was not a vegetarian. “My husband has the shopping list – he’s been tasked.”