UK Minister suggests eating turnips to combat tomato shortage

Eating turnips could help avoid fruit and vegetable shortages in UK supermarkets during the winter months, the Environment Secretary has suggested.
Therese Coffey told MPs that ongoing shortages of produce will be a temporary issue that should be resolved in two to four weeks.
She added the UK should “cherish the specialisms” it has and a “lot of people would be eating turnips right now” under a seasonal food model – rather than thinking about lettuce, tomatoes and similar produce.
Ms Coffey went on to acknowledge shoppers want a “year-round choice”.
Her remarks came after Tory colleague Selaine Saxby said supermarkets are importing “far too many products” and suggested seasonal eating would solve the issue.
A shortage of tomatoes in UK supermarkets has widened to other fruit and vegetables due to a combination of bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe.
Some supermarkets have introduced customer limits on certain fresh produce, with photographs emerging of empty shelves.
Responding to an urgent question in the House of Commons, Ms Coffey said: “I am led to believe by my officials, after discussion with industry and retailers, we anticipate the situation will last about another two to four weeks.
“It is important that we try and make sure that we get alternative sourcing options. That is why the department has already been in discussion with the retailers.
“It is why there will be further discussions led by ministers as well, so that we can try and get over this and try and avoid similar situations in the future.
“Even if we cannot control the weather, it is important that we try and make sure the supply continues to not be frustrated in quite the way it has been due to these unusual weather incidents.”
In response to a later question, Ms Coffey said: “I’m hoping that this will be a temporary issue.”
‘Importing too many products’
Ms Saxby, Conservative MP for North Devon, later said: “The supermarkets are still importing far too many products for us and… actually we should be eating more seasonally and supporting our own British farmers.
“And if we were actually to move to a seasonal line of eating, many of these problems would be avoided… there are great food products available from local farmers at this time.”
Ms Coffey replied: “It’s important to make sure that we cherish the specialisms that we have in this country.
“A lot of people would be eating turnips right now rather than thinking necessarily about aspects of lettuce and tomatoes and similar, but I’m conscious that consumers want a year-round choice and that is what our supermarkets, food producers and growers around the world try to satisfy.”
Concern
For Labour, shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon said: “There is genuine public concern about the availability of food, and as the secretary responsible for our food security – and let’s bear in mind food security is national security – this is absolutely mission-critical.”
He questioned suggestions the food shortages were entirely caused by external forces, claiming ministers could have done more to support farmers with access to “the energy-intensive support scheme”, and could have increased quotas on labour to help with workforce shortages.
Conservative former minister Sir Desmond Swayne ridiculed suggestions that Brexit was responsible for the shortages.
Sir Desmond told the Commons: “If only I had been told before I voted for Brexit that it was going to cause frosts in Morocco, I could have made a different decision, couldn’t I?”
Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse (Bath) said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak should call an emergency Cobra meeting to respond to the “national emergency”.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Turnip sauce on the pizza base. Oh, charming. This Coffey clearly doesn’t like food.
I think she loves food John if I’m not mistaken or perhaps my eyes are failing me 😉.
We all know it is primarily Brexit that has led to shortages here. There may be problems in Spain – but that hasn’t prevented outlets in the EU being fully stocked. It’s time these stupid ideological idiots in the Tory government got their heads out of the ground and realised – Brexit has been a complete disaster. Though I suspect there is more chance of hell freezing over before they do so.
Like we are going to take eating advice off that gigantor. Imagine putting turnip into your sandwiches instead of tomatoes. Cheese and turnip pizza anyone? Ridiculous clownette.
What has Sunak’s UK got in common with Putin’s Russia (apart from Mrs Sunak’s business interests) …They both try and pull the wool over people’s eyes…
Propaganda! Are you in favour of the Ukrainian kill lists targeting Russian speaking Ukrainians that include children as young as 14? We are the ones suffering from propaganda buddy, how many Military bases does America have around the world? Compare that to the Russian number! How many countries have America, With the help of the Anglos and their Welsh pets invaded in the last 70 years?
The Welsh Not!
Let them eat turnips……. 😋
Tomato shortage ? Not around here. Mrs D went to Penybont yesterday and bought a pack of big toms and a pack of small toms both at the silly prices charged over recent months. Someone is spinning a tomato shortage to get suckers out buying like they did with bog rolls at the start of Covid.
Denise Coffey aka Baldrick has a cunning plan with regard to the British diet. Turnips!
Blackadder The Third Dream Turnip – YouTube
However, as she is indistinguishable from a turnip herself …
(I’m not suggesting we eat her, mind. She already leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.)
Every day is looking more like Yes Minister, and still the English vote for these Tory Jokers.
Remember what happened to the ruling classes when they were told to eat cake…….. viva la revolution
Farmers feed turnips to sheep, not swedes!
She also suggests people should’work longer hours’ to pay for huge price increases they have helped to cause. This woman has obviously never gone without food, all her bloated life How DARE she lecture others?!
And the winner of the Rotten Turnips award goes to….Attack Of The Killer Turnips.
See you all in Spain this summer for the turnip throwing fight!
The Tories think the rest of us are serfs. Baldrick ate lots of turnips, so I guess that might have been where she got the idea!
Speaking of turnips..