3 June, 2008 - The first apparent case of rice rationing has hit the UK this week after supermarket chain Netto imposed a “restriction” on the amount of rice customers can buy after its suppliers said they were experiencing shortages.
The Danish-owned low-cost chain said its customers were now only allowed to buy one 10kg bag of basmati rice per person in each of its 184 stores across the UK.
A Netto spokesman said: “The 10-kilogram bags are a very good price and people are perhaps selling them on. Rationing is a strong term - we prefer to use the term restricting. Our suppliers are experiencing some difficulty at the moment."
The supermarket is not restricting any other products, the spokesman confirmed.
The news comes amid global shortages and price hikes for rice, with many countries, such as Vietnam and India, cutting back on exports.