British supermarkets face food shortages as the situation is now that shortages hit the UK: British supermarkets are covering their empty shelves with images of cardboard food.

The United Kingdom is mired in a serious shortage crisis. The situation is due to a sum of factors that have unleashed the perfect storm: the 'Brexit', the rise in the price of fuels and the tension in the supply chain after the increase in demand after COVID-19.

Thus, the current situation is having a full impact on consumption and the shelves of the country's supermarkets are reflecting it.

The British media Mirror echoed a viral tweet. In it a client showed how the Tesco chain covered with a photograph of asparagus the hole that should occupy the real vegetable.

British supermarkets face food shortages

To this, a customer of Sainsbury's brand responded with another image. The woman shared a similar snapshot in which you could see silhouettes of canned food.

Sainsbury's clarified that their partners and suppliers were working "hard" to ensure that customers could find everything they needed when making the purchase.

"Availability in some product categories may vary, but alternatives are available and stores continue to receive deliveries on a daily basis," they say.

This problem in the food chains has worsened with the 'Brexit'. The new situation in the country has compromised the free movement of workers.

British supermarkets face food shortages

Thus, and according to the specialized media La tribuna de automoción, some 20,000 truck drivers of European nationalities were forced to leave the United Kingdom after their Community split became effective.

According to the British logistics association Road Haulage, the country has a shortage of 100,000 truckers operating within its borders.

This problem adds to the crisis in the global supply chain. Outbreaks caused by COVID-19 have meant that certain Chinese port terminals are still inactive and, consequently, there are not enough cargo containers.

The increase in the price of raw materials and the increase in the price of light and transport has not left the shelves of Spanish supermarkets out of stock, but it does predict an imminent price rise, as companies and manufacturers already warn.

British supermarkets face food shortages

"When companies have cost increases they try to absorb it so that it does not have an impact on the consumer, but we are condemned to have inflation," said Ignacio González, president of the association of companies and manufacturers of the consumer goods sector (Aecoc).

The main players in the sector explain that they have to raise the prices of their products to safeguard their businesses. They do so because they cannot continue to bear the cost increase and cut their margins.

González recalls that the cost of raw materials in the global market has increased by 22% and up to 328% maritime transport. All this is causing a "huge challenge for a competitive sector and with little margin".

British supermarkets face food shortages

More news:

Air traffic controllers will strike for Christmas if Enaire does not cease forced retirements

The air sector expects a recovery for this winter season, which runs from November to March, with almost 2% more scheduled flights (a total of 672,000) than in the same period of 2019.

According to Javier Gándara, president of the Airline Association (ALA), which brings together more than 60 companies, this "is very good news". But they are not without problems.

The sector's employers warned of possible congestion of airspace and passport controls with the opening of borders and the reactivation of travel from third countries.

To this is now added a new threat. The national spokesperson for the Union of Air Traffic Controllers (USCA), Susana Romero, denounced that the collective is going through a "surreal and grotesque" situation that is "so serious" as to consider the strike, Expansión reports.

Despite this, Romero acknowledged that they want to reach an agreement with Enaire (the air navigation manager of Spain), and avoid this scenario by the "unpopularity" of the measure and the consequences it entails for users and workers.

November 19 is the union's deadline for Enaire to rectify, although the USCA threatens to carry out union measures that could affect air traffic at the gates of Christmas if they do not reach an agreement.

As the same newspaper recalls, the conflict between the two entities dates back to August 7, when the company informed a number of employees of the processing of their forced retirement.

The company justified this decision in Law 9/2010, a reform that was drafted after the crisis of air traffic controllers in 2010 and that fixed without exceptions the maximum age of employees in the workforce at 65 years.

Since then, the minimum age for retirement had been raised to 67, but the 2010 text had not been amended.

This has led Enaire to terminate the contract for all workers over the age of 65, although many do not add up to the minimum contribution years to receive their pension.

The measure has fully affected 17 workers who have been left without pension and without any type of unemployment benefit, since the SEPE does not recognize Enaire's actions as layoffs.