Says Sainsbury’s boss
The boss of Sainsbury’s has warned that fresh food could end up rotting as it sits at borders after Brexit.
Mike Coupe, chief executive of Sainsbury’s said that if there is added red tape after the UK leaves the EU it could have a huge impact on the nation’s food supply.
Speaking to Press Association “The UK sources roughly a third of its food from the European Union and food is by far and away the UK’s largest export.”
“If you take our fresh produce supply chains, for example, we put things on a lorry in Spain and it will arrive in a distribution centre somewhere in England, and it won’t have gone through any border checks.
“Anything that encumbers that has two effects: it adds cost, and it also has a detrimental effect on freshness – if you’re shipping fresh produce from a long distance, even a few hours of delay can make a material impact.”
He added that Westminster did ‘not fully recognise’ the potential impact on supply chains and the repercussions of any disruption would have to the UK’s shoppers and farmers.
When food is being transported through the supply chain across Europe there are currently no checks.
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