Customers around Western Australia have been asking why they can't seem to find tinned beetroot at their local supermarkets.
It turns out, the beetroot shortage extends across Australia
Sebastian: 1st world problem, this is a photo of my local IGA stores beetroot shelves. I can assure you my local Woolworths is the same. Where is all the beetroot apart from the fresh???
Jo Trilling spoke to Colin Dorber,chief executive at Lockyer Valley Foods, why customers aren't seeing canned or tinned beetroot on supermarket shelves.
"The reason that there's not a lot of beetroot around is that once upon a time, 90 per cent of all of Australia's beetroot was grown here in the Lockyer Valley in Queensland and in 2011 the major company that had bought the Golden Circle Cooperative decided to quit the country and move to New Zealand," he said.
With a the loss of a canning facility for growers to supply their produce to, there is simply less beetroot being grown.
"Over time the only market left for beetroot growers is the fresh market," he said.
"Beetroot and pineapples are the two industries that have been brought to their knees in Queensland by the loss of the major processor in this state," he said.
"What will save it is the food processing facility."
While you're waiting for the shelves to be restocked, some listeners said it was time to give up the tinned beetroot entirely and grow your own.
Barb: It's really easy to grow beets and pickle them yourself. Just doing a refrigerator pickle will do. Thinly slice the beets in a mandolin slicer, or even better, coarsely shred the cooked beets before putting them into the pickling brine. Beautiful pickled beetroot any time you want it, no cans, they last for ages in the fridge, and shredding them rather than slicing them makes them into really easy to use in sandwiches, added to salads, with entrees, so many uses.
Perth, Agricultural Crops
