Do not stock up on food, British Trade Minister urged residents

Do not stock up on food, British Trade Minister urged residents

Do not stock up on food, British Trade Minister Alok Sharma urged residents. They fear supply problems from 1 January after the end of the transitional period and the final "cutting off" of the country from the European Union. "I'm sure that supply chains will continue to work after Brexit," he said, urging people to do "regular shopping" for this time of year, when demand for food is greater during the holidays. "I think we'll find that everything will be fine," he said. Even in March, before the announcement of blockades to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, the British stocked with long-lived goods. They literally looted some shelves in stores. And they waited in long lines or even went shopping as usual to get goods like toilet paper, canned tomatoes or rice. The British Consortium of Retailers (BRC) said before the holidays that traders are doing their best to prepare for all contingencies from 1 January. They increased their stocks of canned food, toilet paper and other longer-consuming products to have enough basic products. They also warned clients that they did not need to buy more food than usual, as brexit would mainly affect imported fresh products, such as fruit and vegetables, which retailers and consumers could not store for a long time. Since the beginning of the whole Brexit process, the BRC has warned against higher food prices, with or without a trade agreement with the European Union. The retail chain Tesco, the largest in Britain, has estimated a 3-5% increase in food prices for Brexit without an agreement.