Banana shortage

Wellington: Bananas are in short supply throughout the country due to a shipping route change and it may be weeks before supply levels are back to normal.

A Countdown spokesman said bananas imported from Mexico and Ecuador were dwindling in number.

‘‘Unfortunately, there’s been a delay in our delivery due to a shippingroute change which has put some pressure on the amount of bananas we have.

‘‘We’re currently working on sourcing some additional bananas, and apologise to our customers for any inconvenience.’’

Foodstuffs, which owns New World and Pak’n Save, is also facing a banana shortage. Its head of external relations, Antoinette Laird, said it could be weeks before supplies returned to normal. — RNZ