Actually, empty shelves in Britain’s supermarkets are a concern since the pandemic and Brexit for no more raised eyebrows. But the latest shortage is still making the British nervous, as it affects their staple food product: black tea is in danger of running out in England.
“We are currently experiencing delivery problems with the nationwide supply of black tea,” said small information signs on the tea shelves of the supermarket chain Sainsbury’s last week. “We are in a critical phase that requires our constant attention,” tea producer Tetley then reported to the New York Times. Yorkshire Tea is also keeping an eye on the situation.
The delays are the first impact of the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Great Britain, fifth largest tea importer in the worldsources more than half of its tea leaves If and Kenyaand depends on the shipping route across the Red Sea.
After Yemeni Huthi-Rebellen in retaliation for the Israeli offensive in Gaza In November, ships began shipping in and around the Rote Meer To attack, 55 percent of all container ships are now diverted via South Africa. According to the transparency platform Portcast, the 6,400 kilometer detour will take 10 to 14 days longer and is over one to two million euros more expensive.
12 cups a day
While in most UK supermarkets currently enough tea packs are present, British buyers are worried about whether shortages will lead to panic buying and – like that Daily Mail expresses – could lead to “devastation”.
61-year-old Kevin Ashton told the Mail Online, he would be “devastated” if supermarkets ran out of tea bags. “I’ve been drinking it since I was a baby – my mother always gave it to me in a bottle.” He doesn’t drink coffee or anything else – just tea. And twelve cups of it a day.
Overall, the British are coming up 100 million cups a day. Tea is the most consumed drink in the UK after water.
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, is currently trying to calm things down: “The impact on consumers will be minimal. Retailers do not expect any major problems.”
2024-02-18 15:54:43
#British #running #black #tea
