Basic foods rationed as panic buying grows
Major stores expected to copy Tesco’s restrictions
PANIC buying has forced Britain’s biggest supermarket to ration tinned peas and other vegetables for online shoppers.
The restrictions at Tesco had previously only applied cleaning products. Stores in some areas are so overwhelmed by online orders that they have no delivery slots for 11 days.
Most stores ran out of hand sanitisers – or imposed rationing on such items – a week ago, but the list of restricted goods has now grown to cover basic foods.
Rationed items listed on the Tesco website include most tinned vegetables, long-life UHT milk, dried pasta, hand sanitisers, anti-bacterial wipes and even bottled water.
It imposes a limit of five of each item per order. Some tinned products, such as green beans, have sold out online in certain regions.
Supermarkets are not thought to have the vehicles and drivers to cope with soaring demand from all those in home quarantine caused by coronavirus.
It has even been suggested that the Army could be asked to provide extra drivers and vehicles.
Tesco’s strict rationing is likely to be followed by big rivals such as Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose. Shoppers are increasingly choosing to stay at home and order online after shelves at stores and supermarkets around the country were cleared of certain products.
A snapshot survey yesterday by the Mail found most of these big firms did not have delivery slots to an address in London until Thursday. The earliest slot for one grocer was 11 days away, on March 19.
Thousands of shoppers descended on supermarkets over the weekend and cleared shelves of canned and packet foods, pasta, rice, toilet paper, soap, antibacterial wipes and disinfectant.
Customers reported that some outlets of Costco and Aldi were rationing the number of packs of toilet rolls customers could buy. Environment Secretary George Eustice is holding talks today with retailers on food security and getting supplies to vulnerable people, particularly the elderly.
But responding yesterday to reports of people panic buying in supermarkets, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: ‘We’ve had no advice from the scientific advisers or medical officers that there’s any need for people to buy stuff in. ‘We will make sure we give the NHS the investment it needs to cope with this crisis.’
A Government source said: ‘ A couple of measures raised by retailers that could help alleviate any pressures were removing curfews for delivery vehicles, and Government sharing data of areas where we have identified there may be hotspots of coronavirus so that they can ensure food stocks are moved accordingly. Officials will look at how we can best support and activate these measures.’ The source said ministers were keen to offer support for vulnerable people in home quarantine, possibly including free deliveries.
But one retail industry insider said: ‘There seems to an element of making things up as they go along. I cannot see what mechanism exists to identify vulnerable people in self-isolation, set up the online accounts they will need and then help them select the groceries they want.
‘Many of these people, particularly the elderly, have never used online grocery shopping and they will need a lot of support.’
A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: ‘The Environment Secretary will hold a call with leading supermarkets and industry representatives to discuss their response to coronavirus. The meeting will discuss support for vulnerable groups who may be in isolation.’