Crop Report

We continue to closely monitor the potential implications of the conflict in the Middle East on global supply chains. Independent of this, global shipping remains a significant risk for fresh produce. Severe weather is causing delays and congestion at major ports, leading to extended transit times on key international routes.

While the number of late-running vessels has improved slightly, the situation remains challenging, with some categories still subject to short-notice delays.

We had begun to see some improvement in berry availability; however, recent adverse weather has negatively impacted quality and created renewed challenges. While we are actively exploring alternative origins to support continuity of supply, availability remains inconsistent. We expect some improvement later this week.

Raspberry availability is particularly challenging. Sandstorms and difficult weather conditions in Morocco, combined with regional production transitions, have placed significant pressure on supply. As a result, short-term, market-wide constraints are expected. We are monitoring the situation closely and working with suppliers to minimise customer impact.

There have also been some isolated quality issues with blackberries, which we are addressing in collaboration with our suppliers.

Lettuce supply is very challenging following more poor weather in Spain. The market remains fragile, and further disruption is possible as the earlier storms impacted planting schedules. We expect some supply pressure over the next couple of weeks.

Due the current climate in Spain, which is providing near-perfect breeding conditions for insects, we are also seeing an increase in aphid levels. While we are working hard with suppliers to minimise the impact on customers, rules on pesticide use and the lack of rain mean that options to address the issue are limited. Concessions are in place, and we are advising customers to take extra care when washing products before use.

Together, these factors are creating a particularly challenging period for the category. We are monitoring the situation closely for any further developments. In the short term, we do not anticipate issues, as we have expanded sourcing to additional origins to minimise risk and maintain supply.

Tenderstem® supply has been significantly impacted across all major growing regions due to adverse weather and ongoing logistical challenges. Spain, Portugal, Egypt, and Kenya are all experiencing crop or freight disruptions, resulting in reduced availability across the wider market.

The next six weeks are expected to remain difficult. However, we are working closely with suppliers and do not anticipate major issues with our own supply, despite continued tightness in the overall market.

We are nearing the end of the Spanish lemon season and are seeing the expected challenges with smaller sizes. To protect continuity of supply, we will transition to southern hemisphere fruit in the first week of April—approximately one month earlier than usual.

Availability of smaller sizes is expected to remain tight until the southern hemisphere season is fully underway. Alongside sizing issues, some quality challenges have also been observed.

While our current availability remains satisfactory, the wider market is coming under increasing pressure, which may impact supply in the coming weeks.

Adverse weather in Spain and Morocco is affecting both crop development and transportation, reducing volumes at a key point in the season. In addition, the conflict in the Middle East is further impacting supply, making this a particularly challenging period for the category. We expect conditions to remain difficult for the remainder of March 
and will continue to monitor developments closely.

Lime availability has improved as delayed vessels continue to arrive, although some supply chain challenges persist. Extended transit times are creating quality concerns, which we are monitoring closely with suppliers.

Tomato availability is declining as we approach the end of a challenging season. Cooler temperatures and recent sandstorms in Morocco have created difficult growing conditions. Supply from mainland Spain and the Canary Islands continues, although some quality issues are present. As a result, concessions may be required on certain tomato lines from different origins.

Melon supply continues to be affected by ongoing vessel delays. Although we have managed the situation well to date, conditions remain very challenging. We anticipate an improvement once delayed vessels arrive, currently expected next week, although this remains subject
 to change.