The florets are flaming out.
Australian supermarkets are reportedly grappling with a shortage of broccoli and other produce as the country’s massive bushfires ravage farms.
Coles — one of Australia’s largest grocery store chains — said broccoli supplies are suffering because of the fires, which have slammed at least 19,000 farmers, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
“Availability of some fresh produce, meat and grocery items has been impacted by bushfire and extreme weather conditions,” a Coles spokesperson told a reporter for local TV station 7NEWS. “ …We apologize to our customers if the product they wish to buy is currently unavailable and thank them for helping us to help Australian farmers and suppliers.”
The company said it’s trying to help suppliers by purchasing fruit and vegetables that may be blemished or smaller than usual.
The Woolworths supermarket chain has also taken a hit to its broccoli supply — though the company blamed extreme weather patterns rather than the fires directly. The company said it experienced the same issues at this time last year.
“We’re working closely with our suppliers to improve supply for our customers as quickly as possible,” a Woolworths spokesperson said in a statement.
Australian shoppers could also end up paying more for the produce that’s left on supermarket shelves. Vegetable industry group AUSVEG expects vegetable prices to spike as much as 50 percent as the bushfires scorch crops and squeeze growers, Australian broadcaster ABC reported this week.
The fires have burned millions of acres of land, left more than two dozen people dead and killed more than 1 billion animals since they started raging last year. Firefighters said this week that they may be finally reining in the blazes thanks to cooler weather.



