Climate change and extreme weather conditions will make harvests less predictable and lead to shortages of certain foods, warns Nicole Freid, the CEO of HAK, a Dutch canned fruit and vegetable company.
Freid explains that heavy rainfall is one of the greatest difficulties for the company, which grows around 85% of all vegetables within a 125 km radius of its HQ in Giessen, the Netherlands. "The challenge we face with our growers and other partners to ensure that harvests can be brought in," said Freid. So far, the spinach harvest has been poor, while the yield of rhubarb and kale has also been disappointing.
The CEO added that it is hard to predict whether this situation will result in empty stalls. "We harvest vegetables by season and then preserve them. They go into storage, which gives us a sufficient supply till the next harvest. The benefit is in consuming local produce all year round."
However, the company can’t fully counteract the impact of the weather. "One has to strike a balance in creating a stockpile – not too little, not too much. HAK can reseed some crops but it’s still uncertain whether the harvest will be successful. The yield will be lower for peas and carrots that should be reaped at this time."
Nonetheless, the CEO admits that it’s unusual to have all vegetables accessible all year round."There's a lot of growth in the Netherlands, we have a rich delta and a lot of produce at our disposal. But sometimes things go wrong. We need to adapt more to the seasons."
