Which supermarkets are rationing fruit and vegetables and what are the rules?

Shortages are leading some supermarkets to ration certain fruits and veg (Picture: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock)

With the fruit and veg shortages set to last another month, some supermarkets have brought in rationing to try and eke out supplies.

It follows one shopper trying to load up with 100 cucumbers in her local supermarket – where the manager put a stop to it.

Now Lidl has joined some other supermarkets in officially rationing certain items.

Bad weather, which has caused transport problems and poor harvests – along with some producers reportedly cutting back on the use of heated greenhouses due to soaring energy costs – are the cause of the shortages.

So which fruits and vegetables are affected, which supermarkets are rationing, and how much can you put in your trolley before feeling the cold hand of the manager on your shoulder?

Here’s what you need to know.

Which supermarkets are rationing fruit and vegetables?

Taking too many tomatoes could land you in hot water (Picture: Getty Images)

Lidl

 Lidl has put a three item buying limit for the following items:

Peppers

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

The supermarket says it has ‘good availability’ of them, but says it has brought in rationing after an ‘increase in demand.’

Aldi

Aldi is also limiting sales of the following to ‘three units per customer’:

Peppers

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

A spokesperson said this was ‘to ensure that as many customers as possible can buy what they need.’

Start planting indoors now, and you could grow your own cucumbers by the summer (Picture: Getty Images/EyeEm)

Asda

Asda is rationing a wider range of fruits and vegetables to just three per customer:

Tomatoes

Peppers

Cucumbers

Lettuce

Salad (bagged)

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Raspberries

An Asda spokesperson said: ‘Like other supermarkets, we are experiencing sourcing challenges on some products that are grown in southern Spain and north Africa.’

Getting your five a day might need a bit more forward planning (Picture: Getty Images/500px Plus)

Morrisons

Morrisons has gone a step further, bringing in a limit of two items per customer on the following:

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Lettuce

Peppers

The supermarket pointed out that ‘difficult weather conditions’ are ‘disrupting harvests’.

Tesco

There’s a limit of three items per person on the following at Tesco.:

Tomatoes

Peppers

Cucumbers

The British Retail Consortium said shortages are expected to last a few weeks, until the UK growing season begins and retailers find alternative suppliers.

Sainsbury’s

Currently, Sainsbury’s has no plans to introduce restrictions.

Waitrose

Waitrose is not currently rationing any fruit or veg.

The Co-op

There are no restrictions on how much fruit or veg you can buy at the Co-op.

How long could rationing last?

It isn’t clear how long these limits will remain in place for although experts had warned it could last until May.

Minette Batters, the head of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), told Sky News today: ‘Everybody wants to avoid rationing, effectively, which is what we saw with eggs in December.’

She explained how UK supermarkets would however continue to face challenges in getting some food items.

Batters added that the ‘last thing anybody wants to do is to create a level of panic buying’.

MORE : Six easy ways to make your fruit and vegetables last longer amid shortages

MORE : How to grow your own tomatoes – tips from an expert

Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Share your views in the comments below

Tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and other fruit and veg are in short supply.