Australians are facing empty shelves as heavy rainfall causes blueberry shortages nationwide.

What's happening?

According to Colitco, the fruit shortage is affecting major retailers, including Coles and Woolworths supermarket chains. While the stores are still receiving shipments of blueberries, the supply is drastically lower because of the erratic weather patterns over the last several weeks. 

However, a spokesperson for Coles said the blueberry shortage was temporary and that customers should not be alarmed about the low stock in stores, as it is expected to return to normal once the rain subsides. Woolworths representatives had a similar opinion on the situation. 

Why are blueberry shortages in Australia concerning?

With limited supplies come higher prices for customers, along with stressful conditions for retailers and suppliers who are at the mercy of Mother Nature to replenish their shelves and trucks.

To make matters worse, Coles stores advertised a special, limited-time promotion for blueberries, which created a stir among customers when they saw the sparsely stocked shelves. However, the store apologized and explained that the promotion was planned before anyone knew about the adverse weather conditions. 

The crop failures also point to a larger pattern unfolding globally due to rising temperatures and increased heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. As Colitco explained, in Australia alone, broccoli shortages affected customers just a few months ago due to flooding in New South Wales. Other locations worldwide that have experienced difficulties growing crops include Ukraine, Hungary, and parts of Africa. 

In Ukraine, farmers lost around 50,000 hectares (more than 120,000 acres) of crops, including grains and legumes, due to widespread fires, an early-season frost, and the ongoing war. In Hungary, unprecedented April frosts destroyed around 90% of cherry crops, and African farmers are seeing widespread cocoa crop failures because of heavy rains and higher-than-average temperatures, along with illegal mining and deforestation.

These unpredictable weather events are not only devastating for farmers and humanity in general, since we all need to eat to survive, but also for the animals and plants that depend on healthy ecosystems. 

What's being done to restock shelves?

Coles has focused on stocking shelves with other in-season fruits such as imported cherries, oranges, and mandarins, and the strawberry season is just around the corner. While this doesn't replace blueberries, it's a temporary solution until the harvest returns to normal. Woolworths is also selling other seasonal fruits and reassuring customers that blueberry supplies should be replenished soon. 

Coles officials said they're working with farmers whose crops were destroyed by the downpours, so hopefully that will speed up the process. 

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Many farmers are diversifying their crops and even creating seed banks to withstand increasingly erratic weather and help safeguard food security in the future. 

Make sure to keep tabs on any major weather events in your area that could impact food supplies and deliveries, and consider looking into how you can keep food fresh longer in case of shortages. For example, if you have leftover blueberries or other fruits, you can freeze them to keep them from spoiling while ensuring you have ample supplies in the future.

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