Europe’s fresh food supply is being threatened by coronavirus

Farmers sorting snow peas at a collection center at Mirangine, Nakuru County on February 28, 2020. [Caroline Chebet, Standard]

Fresh fruit and vegetables will become increasingly scarce in Europe, suppliers warn, as the coronavirus pandemic hampers the global movement of produce and of the people needed to gather crops.

Governments are looking at ways to ease any shortage, including ‘green lanes’ to allow fresh produce to move quickly across EU borders, recruiting a ‘shadow army’ of harvesters and loosening travel rules for migrant workers.