"Only Cream Pasta Available"... Menu Removed in UK Restaurants Due to Tomato Price Surge

Tomato Prices Quadruple in One Year
"Only White Pizza Possible
Management Crisis for Italian Restaurants"

Some restaurants in the UK have completely removed tomato-based dishes from their menus or replaced them with other options. This is because tomato prices have skyrocketed this year, coupled with a shortage, forcing them to take out this essential ingredient from their menus.

[Image source=Pixabay]

According to the UK daily The Guardian on the 26th (local time), Enzo Oliveri, chairman of the British Italian Chefs Association, said, "Some restaurants are serving customers white pizza or pasta with white sauce instead of tomatoes, which have become more expensive and scarce."

The disappearance of tomato-based dishes is related to the soaring prices. The price of a box of tomatoes in the UK was around 5 pounds (about 8,000 won) last year, but recently it has risen to 20 pounds (31,500 won), a fourfold increase.

The problem is that the price of tomatoes is rising even more steeply. According to the Italian Cuisine Consortium, tomato prices have tripled in the past two weeks. Canned tomatoes have also doubled from 15 pounds (23,700 won) to 30 pounds (about 47,000 won).

Chairman Oliveri lamented, "It is very difficult to run an Italian restaurant. Some may have to close. At the moment, there is no light at the end of the tunnel."

[Image source=Pixabay]

The cause of this tomato supply shortage is linked to abnormal weather. During winter, the UK relies on imports for 95% of its tomatoes, mostly from Spain and North Africa. However, unusually cold weather has persisted in southern Spain recently, and floods in Morocco have severely damaged crop harvests.

Meanwhile, due to the nationwide vegetable supply shortage in the UK, some distributors have taken measures to limit sales. Recently, Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket, restricted the sale of tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers to a maximum of three bundles per customer due to the shortage of agricultural products. Tesco stated, "We are introducing limits as a preventive measure to ensure customers can get the agricultural products they need."