The era of endless choice is never coming back, warns food boss

CUSTOMERS will permanently face less choice in British restaurants and supermarkets because of a crippling shortage in lorry drivers which has hammered companies across Europe, the boss of the country’s biggest food trade body has warned.

Ian Wright, head of the Food and Drink Federation, said that a combination of the pandemic and post-brexit disruption means that consumers must get used to the end of an era when “just about every product they want” was easily available.

Mr Wright said: “That’s over. And I don’t think it’s coming back.”

His comments came as tepid July growth figures laid bare the damaging impact widespread shortages of staff and goods are having on the UK’S recovery.

The food industry has been hit heavily, with shortages in major chains, including Mcdonald’s, Nando’s and Greggs, and empty shelves in many supermarkets. Mr Wright told a panel hosted by the Institute for Government think tank that shortages had put paid to Britain’s “just-in-time” food system, where goods go out on the shelves as soon as a lorry turns up. He said: “It is no longer working and I don’t think it will work again. I think we will see we’re now in for permanent shortages.”

The UK will not run out of food, Mr Wright said, but the availability of certain items is likely to be more limited.

There are an estimated 500,000 vacancies across the industry, with a lack of fruit-pickers and slaughterhouse workers causing particular bottlenecks.

Problems are being exacerbated further by a dearth of lorry drivers, with haulage bosses saying the industry is 100,000 workers short.

In a cross-industry report published last month, food business group bosses called for the introduction of temporary visas to help alleviate shortages.

Mr Wright said: “One in eight of our desired staff is simply not there. That’s driven by the combination of a number of factors and Brexit is only one of them.”

Fellow panellist Elly Darkin, a trade policy adviser at Global Counsel, warned the looming introduction of post-brexit border checks would cause further disruption. She said: “In the short term, I think things are likely to get worse before they get better.”

The British Chambers of Commerce joined calls for a temporary visa programme yesterday. In a letter to the Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, seen by The Daily Telegraph, its director general Shevaun Haviland said staff shortages are at “critical levels”.

She said: “Without action businesses will struggle to operate and consumers will face rising prices or limited options.”

Trade figures for July also underlined the impact of the pandemic and the UK’S exit from the European Union.

Exports and imports with the bloc fell during the month, with imports continuing to be depressed in comparison to pre-brexit and pre-pandemic levels.