The head of a leading British supermarket chain has spoken out about the potential dangers to fresh produce supply if heavy customs and border control checks are implemented once the U.K. has left the European Union (EU).

Following on from last week’s British Retail Consortium’s warning that fruit and veg shortages could become a regular occurrence along with price hikes, Sainsbury’s chief executive Mike Coupe has now publicly waded into the Brexit customs debate.

Speaking to the Press Association, Coupe said how “detrimental” border disruptions could adversely impact the food supply chain and how the retail industry will continue to push for alternative scenarios to avoid shortages, price increases and quality issues unless the government comes up with a resolution as part of exit talks. 

“The UK sources roughly a third of its food from the European Union and food is by far and away the UK’s largest export,” he was quoted as saying.

“If you take our fresh produce supply chains, for example, we put things on a lorry in Spain and it will arrive in a distribution center somewhere in England, and it won’t have gone through any border checks.

“Anything that encumbers that has two effects: it adds cost, and it also has a detrimental effect on freshness – if you’re shipping fresh produce from a long distance, even a few hours of delay can make a material impact.”

Despite major lobbying from the fresh produce sectors, retail industry and others, the stark warnings about supply chain disruption, particularly at borders like ports, are not being fully recognized by the government, added Coupe.

He also said that as the clock counts down to the official Brexit date of March 2019, retailers and others will strongly be making this point to government officials.

www.freshfruitportal.com