Sunshine puts pressure on food suppliers

29-Sep-2011 - Last updated on 30-Sep-2011 at 11:57 GMT

Hot stuff: the heatwave is boosting sales but challenging food chain logistics

Related tags Ice cream Food Chilled food association

The freak September heatwave is providing a welcome boost for the food industry but placing impossible demands on some parts of the supply chain, it has been claimed.

With temperatures hitting 100-year highs, producers of barbecue foods and ice cream have seen a sales spike that has lifted some of the gloom created by the poor summer.

But Mintel analyst Richard Perks told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “I would think it’s inevitable there’s going to be problems. Food retailers are going to experience a big shift in demand away from what they would normally see at this time of year and that will be difficult for them.

“I don’t see how you can turn on the supply for salad vegetables at such short notice, for example. The grocers are going to have to go with whatever they can get hold of.”

Salad days

Kaarin Goodburn, secretary general of the Chilled Food Association, said: “When the sun shines and it gets warm people eat salad, and hopefully we will have enough to meet demand.

“Over the next few weeks suppliers will start to move to Spanish and other overseas supplies that our members grow themselves in UK-owned farms.”

Tesco is predicting soaring demand for salads, barbecue meat, ice cream and alcohol this weekend, when temperatures are predicted to rise as high as 28°C.

But a spokeswoman said the retailer was confident of avoiding out-of-stocks. “Obviously if you’re trying to get strawberries this weekend that isn’t going to happen, but we’re not going to run out of salads, sausages and sweetcorn,” she added.

“We’ve already got the stock so we’re not anticipating any problems.”

30% sales spike

Colin Gray, owner of the Original Rossi Ice Cream in Southend, said sales in September were up 30% on those in the same month last year.

He added: “It’s been absolutely brilliant. It was a poor summer really, after a great start in April which was a better month for us than August.

“We’ve increased our production above what it would normally be at this time of year – people are working harder and perhaps a little bit longer.”

The heatwave has been welcomed by the Food & Drink Federation.“It’s great to see a final burst of good weather after what has been a varied summer,” it said.

“There’s no doubt that weather influences food purchasing – for example we might see some late sales of soft fruit and of course specific barbecue products and condiments, possibly ice cream and soft drinks too.”

But it added: “It’s unlikely to have a very significant impact on overall sales as it will be for a short period of time and the weather is expected to revert to normal October conditions early next week.

“However it could be a very welcome last burst of summer sales for manufacturers who may have been disappointed earlier this year.”