Australia is grappling with a beetroot shortage, leaving supermarket shelves bare and consumers struggling to find the beloved vegetable.
The shortage started a year ago when Cyclone Gabrielle hit Golden Circle’s beetroot farms in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, a key supplier to Australia.
Golden Circle’s beetroot supply then dwindled until it ran out completely, leaving only manufacturer’s Three Threes and Edgell to meet the demand, with Edgell processing in Echuca, Victoria.
Ed Fagan, a beetroot farmer supplying Three Threes from Cowra in New South Wales, said Golden Circle’s absence created a significant supply gap.
“And we’re at the point where we’re trying to fill the gap.”
“We’re not usually producing beetroot here in summer, but we are at the moment because we knew there was going to be this shortage,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
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He said that the shortage could have been avoided if the retailers had known the extent of the shortage in advance.
“If the retailers knew how much they'd be short, we would have been able to make up more of the shortfall,” he said.
“It would have been nice if we could have reacted a bit quicker.”
He explained the supply problem stemmed from the globalisation of the food supply chains.
“All of the Golden Circle beetroot used to be grown up in Queensland in the Lockyer Valley, and about ten years ago, they shut the factory and moved all in production to New Zealand to basically bring the cost of production down,” he explained.
“But what that did is it concentrated their risk, and, of course, right now, the consequences of that are showing.”
John Brent, chairman of AUSVEG, the peak representative body of Australian vegetable industries, added that Golden Circle’s relocation posed a continuous threat to Australia’s national food security.
“With the cost of labour often much lower in our competitor countries, the appeal of setting up offshore facilities at the expense of local suppliers is only going to become more and more appealing to companies in future,” he said.
“This highlights the ongoing issues Australia has in terms of cost competitiveness when it comes to labour.”
He added that Australian beetroot growers faced significant pressure to sustain profitable operations due to increasing imports and rising input costs.
However, beetroot lovers can expect some relief soon, with Mr. Fagan mentioning that the return of the vegetable to Australian shelves is underway.
“We’re actually harvesting for Three Threes at the moment, so some Three Threes beetroot should be coming onto the shelves. Slice beetroot for hamburgers and baby beets for salads. And so on,” he said.
“By the end of April, it [Edgell] should be back on the shelves,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fagan anticipates the return of iconic Australian Golden Circle beetroot within the coming weeks.
“There will be Golden Circle beetroot back on the shelves, I would say, within a month to six weeks,” he said.
Supermarkets Blame Poor Conditions for Beetroot Shortage
Supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles pointed to poor growing conditions and bad weather for the limited availability of beetroot, a favourite among their customers.Woolworths warned its shoppers to expect low amounts of canned beetroot on the shelves due to “adverse growing conditions.”
“We encourage customers to be flexible if the products they would usually purchase are not available,” a Woolworths spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
“We’re in close contact with our suppliers and working on contingency plans to minimise any potential disruption to our customers.”
Coles told The Epoch Times that it sympathises with its customers’ frustration.
“We expect to see more stock on shelves over the coming months,” the supermarket giant said.
“The good news is that our supply of fresh beetroot has not been affected, with plenty available across our stores and online.”
Beetroot is a quintessentially Australian vegetable. Shutterstock
Nevertheless, the absence of the beloved vegetable sparked frustration and confusion among online shoppers.
“Shops are basically empty. Chatted with the Golden Circle rep today and the local IGA. They don’t expect stock again until June,” one person wrote on Facebook.
“Is there a shortage of beetroot? Subway haven’t had any last few times I’ve been there,” said another.
Beetroot’s ‘Superfood’ Status Drives Popularity
It comes as the promotion of beetroot as a “superfood” made it a common item in Australian kitchens, as consumers often buy vegetables for their nutritional value, consumer research from Project Harvest has found.Australian shoppers purchase nearly a kilogram of beetroot about three times each month, with the vegetable being a popular choice for weekday meals during the summer season.
“Beetroot has long been a mainstay of Australian burgers and soups, and this data proves that it remains a quintessentially Australian vegetable,” AUSVEG spokesperson Andrew White said.
He highlighted a glimmer of hope for Australian beetroot growers, saying this insight could potentially boost their profitability by aligning with consumer preferences.
“Data that analyses vegetable consumers by their purchasing category can give growers a better understanding of what value Australian consumers are looking to get out of their vegetables, which can give them the tools to tailor their produce to meet consumers’ needs,” he said.
