Independent shops in Shropshire confident of keeping shelves stocked amid salad shortages
Independent and family-run shops in Shropshire say they have not had the empty shelves in their salad sections that big supermarkets are facing.
However prices are rising and, say some, they have no choice but to pass those increases onto their customers.
Stans Superstore in St Martins is part of the Nisa group and so has seen some orders cut - although this has not meant empty shelves.
Andrew Faulks, one of the partners of Stans, said: "Nisa has about 3,500 stores and so if it has fewer supplies it has to ensure that what it has is shared between everyone.
"However we also have someone who visits the wholesale markets and so if there are gaps we can ask him for extra stock.
"We had a new Nisa delivery on Thursday with everything that we asked for on it so our shelves are full and, for the moment we are not restricting our customers."
Pip Elms from Moolah, a food store and cafe in Ellesmere, said while she had been able to get everything, prices had certainly risen.
"The price of tomatoes have doubled and unfortunately our prices for customers have had to go up to reflect that increase," she said.
She said as an independent business owner she had the flexibility to use different suppliers from week to week, unlike big retail stores who are tied into contracts.
"I have the agility to change my orders as well. When cauliflower prices soared I cut the number that I bought, knowing I wouldn't sell as many at the price they were," she said.
Moolah, shortlisted in the Local Food/Drink category in the Countryside Alliance rural business awards for championing local suppliers and producers, is also a cafe. Pip has also changed some of its menu, offering alternatives to salad.
"The benefit of having our cafe is we never have leftover vegetables because I can always turn them into a meal."
