Revealed: Which Regions Have The Worst Food Shortages?

The North East and the East Midlands have the worst food shortages in the entire UK
Over one in five people in East Midlands and Yorkshire were unable to buy essential food items in the past fortnight - 23% higher than the national average
Fuel shortages are worst in the South East and East of England, where nearly one in four people could not buy fuel

The North East and the East Midlands have the worst food shortages in the entire UK, new research can reveal.

More than one in five people in the North East and the East Midlands were unable to buy essential food items over the last fortnight.

In the North East and the East Midlands, 21 percent of residents were also unable to buy non-essential food items. In the North East, one in ten people reported buying less food due to shortages.

The research, conducted by delivery management experts Urbantz, used new ONS data on goods shortages to analyse the percentage of people in different areas of the UK who were unable to access essential food between the 22nd of September and the 3rd of October.

The regions with the second-worst food shortages were the East of England and London. In London, almost one in five people could not access essential food items in the past fortnight and 12 percent reported buying less food than usual as a result of shortages.

In the East of England, 19 percent of people could not buy essential food, and 14 percent bought less food than usual because of shortages – the highest proportion of people who purchased less food in the entire UK.

On a UK-wide level, one in ten people reported buying less food as a result of goods shortages.

In the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, one in six people struggled to afford essential food items. In the North West, nearly one in four were unable to purchase non-essential food.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, one in five were unable to purchase non-essential food, and a further one in five found that when they went shopping, items they needed were not available and they could not find a replacement, and nearly 50 percent of people reported less variety in the shops than usual.

When it came to fuel shortages, the South East and the East of England were the regions which struggled most. In the East of England, nearly a quarter of residents could not buy fuel, and in the South East, 22 percent of people were unable to access it – 57 percent higher than the national average.

A spokesperson for Urbantz, which conducted the research, said:
“With the country facing significant delivery of food and other essentials, it’s important to look at the experiences of families in the UK, and what they have dealt with in the past two weeks when trying to shop for food, medicine and fuel. The impact of the driver shortage is felt across the entire supply chain, all the way through to the last mile - where consumers are faced with fewer choices at checkout and longer delays on their deliveries due to retailers' struggles to keep their warehouses stocked."


UK food shortages by region   

Region	% who couldn't buy essential food in last fortnight
North East	21%
East Midlands	21%
East of England	19%
London	19%
Scotland	18%
South West	18%
South East	17%
Wales	17%
North West	14%
Yorkshire and the Humber	14%
West Midlands	12%

Research carried out by https://urbantz.com/