All the items running low on shelves due to supply crisis from beer to chicken

Supermarkets and some of the most well-known restaurant chains have been struggling amid an on-going shortfall of around 100,000 HGV drivers.

The lack of drivers was already an issue before the pandemic but it has been made worse due to self-isolation rules.

Brexit and post-EU rules have also been linked to the shortfall of workers, with there being a backlog of driver tests as well.

About 14,000 European lorry drivers left the UK last year and only 600 have returned, statistics suggest.

From beer to chicken, we explain which items you may find in short supply due to nationwide supply chain issues.

McDonald’s, Costa and Greggs are just some of the fast food outlets that have been hit by food shortages.

It comes after all major supermarkets - including Big Four grocers Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Asda - have seen shelves left empty in recent weeks.

This week, Steve Murrells, chief executive of the Co-operative Group, warned how food shortages are at the worst level he’s ever seen.

And the managing director of Iceland, Richard Walker, has said he fears supply chain issues could “cancel” Christmas this year.

Beer

Some pubs have been forced to shut after not receiving enough barrels of popular beers such as Amstel, Fosters and Heineken.

Meanwhile, other boozers that have been able to stay open have urged customers to try another beer if their favourite tipple isn't available.

Breweries have been struggling to keep up with supply due to a shortage of lorry drivers and the “pingdemic”.

There had been fears that the situation could be made worse over the August bank holiday after delivery drivers vote to strike.

The drivers work for logistics firm GXO which supplies 40% of UK pub and restaurant beers, with the row centred on pay increases.

They had voted for strike action after they were offered a "paltry" 1.4% wage increase but have since called off the industrial action after settling on a 4% rise.

Have you noticed empty shelves in your nearest supermarket? Let us know in the comments below

Chicken
Chicken chain Nando's had been forced to shut 50 of its restaurants earlier this month after being hit by supply issues. All its restaurants have since reopened.

KFC also confirmed some of its menu items were missing, although it didn't specify exactly what wasn't available.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Beefeater said it was experiencing shortages of bottled beer and chicken.

Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, said members had reported a 5% to 10% drop in weekly chicken production as a result of workforce issues.

He told Politics Home: "They are currently producing a reduced range of products for UK customers, and are seriously concerned that the supply of staple chicken products will be impacted.

"When you don’t have people, you have a problem – and this is something we are seeing across the whole supply chain."

Blood tests
The NHS has stopped testing for certain conditions because of a shortage of equipment.

NHS England has issued guidance asking doctors to stagger regular blood tests for certain conditions because they have a shortage of collection tubes.

Becton Dickinson (BD), which makes vials for the NHS, has warned of serious supply chain issues across the UK. It said it had seen an unprecedented demand for products driven by the need for tubes to test Covid-19 patients.

The company manufactures its tubes in the US.

Turkey
Fears have been sparked that there might not be enough turkeys to go round this Christmas if supply chain issues continue.

Mark Gorton, managing director of Traditional Norfolk Poultry, told ITV News the poultry industry is at crisis point already due to staff shortages and the lack of lorry drivers.

He said: "The big problem we’ve got at the moment is labour, we simply cannot find people to run our farms and run our factory.

"This is hugely serious, we are committed to growing these chickens to supply our customers and of course once the birds are on the ground they’re growing."

Pigs in blankets

Christmas dinners could also be missing pigs in blankets this year following staff shortages.

Farmers normally start getting pigs prepared for festive season orders around now, meaning current issues could have a knock-on effect for the festive season.

The National Pig Association (NPA) is warning that farms are struggling to find staff due to stricter rules on European Union workers.

Zoe Davies, chief executive of the NPA, told The Sun: "There is a huge concern about pigs in blankets and gammon availability for Christmas.

"This is the time the processors would normally be laying down stock for the festive season and storing it."

Milkshakes
McDonald’s said some branches were left unable to serve milkshakes and bottled drinks last week.

The fast-food chain said it was “working hard to return these items to the menu as soon as possible" as customers took to social media to complain about the missing items.

McDonald's didn't confirm the reason for the issues but it is thought they are linked to the driver shortages.

A spokesperson said: "Like most retailers, we are currently experiencing some supply chain issues, impacting the availability of a small number of products.

"Bottled drinks and milkshakes are temporarily unavailable in restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales."