Lettuce rationing has proved to be just the tip of the iceberg: the UK’s third largest supermarket has introduced a ban on bulk purchases of aubergines, broccoli, loose courgettes and cabbage. Asda said it was limiting bulk purchases to six items on iceberg lettuce and each of the other vegetables as an almost unprecedented cold and wet weather in southern Spain has hit supplies. The shortages are also hitting restaurant chains. Sandwich chain Pret a Manger said it had been using alternative varieties of leaf in its salads. Meanwhile, eBay had listings for iceberg lettuces for between 99p and £4.99. Supermarket shelves have been left empty and prices soared to as much as three times their usual price as supplies from Murcia, where more than 80% of many salad and vegetable crops sold in the UK usually come from over the winter, have slumped.
