Avocado, tomato prices rise substantially due to weather

Cold weather in Southern Europe and empty Dutch greenhouses due to high energy bills have resulted in empty vegetable shelves in the Netherlands. Tomatoes, peppers, cauliflowers, and avocados are in short supply - and their prices have risen accordingly, the Telegraaf reports.

“It’s sad,” a customer of Albert Heijn on Plein ‘40-’45 in Amsterdam said to the newspaper. “A cucumber for 1.40 euros really shocks me. And look at the avocados. They normally cost 1 euro and are now 1.30 euros - in the bargain bin!”

Cauliflower prices increased from 1.75 euros a year ago to an average of 2.52 euros at the end of January, according to the newspaper. Bell peppers now cost around 1.39 euros each instead of last year’s 65 cents. Vine tomatoes cost about 4 euros per kilogram, compared to 2.76 euros a year ago.

Wim van Geest, the owner of a family business active in the fruit and vegetable trade, confirmed the current shortages. “At this time of year, we are always more dependent on imports. Then the tomatoes come from Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. But it was cold there, so there is much less supply,” he told the newspaper. The weather in Spain has improved since, but it will take a while for the tomatoes to ripen.

Supermarkets are putting up signs that the supply of fresh fruit and veg is smaller due to the weather in southern Europe, Marc Wever of supermarkets’ organization CBL said. Some supermarkets limit how many cauliflowers, for example, each customer can buy. “That can happen locally, but it is not policy.”

“It is difficult to say how long this will last because it is very weather dependent, and that is difficult to predict. But it is no reason to panic,” Wever said. “Think of vegetables from the freezer or vegetable packages from the refrigerated shelves.”

Wilma van den Oever of the GroentenFruit Huis hopes the current situation will encourage consumers to eat more seasonally. “Think of leeks, carrots, parsnips, kale,” she said to the newspaper. Tomatoes will also soon be in season. “The harvest in the Netherlands starts again at the end of March, so more and more is becoming available gradually. “