Supermarkets have blamed a shortage of tomatoes on bad weather abroad - but Norfolk farmers warned that empty shelves illustrate much deeper problems in the UK food chain.
Shoppers across the region have vented their frustration after being unable to find tomatoes and other grocery items at their local stores.
Retailers said cold weather and heavy rain had disrupted their usual winter supplies from Spain and Morocco, where the fruit is grown outside the British season.
But farming leaders said the import problems masked longer-term issues for UK producers struggling to make profits amid challenges including huge cost inflation and labour shortages.
Tomato growers said soaring energy prices in particular - compounded by a lack of government support with their bills - had led to fewer and later crop plantings, pushing back the start of the UK season and increasing the reliance on imports this winter.
Richard Diplock is a managing director at The Green House, which runs three tomato glasshouses near Trowse outside Norwich, in Ely and in Sussex. Combined, they supply about 17pc of the UK's tomatoes.
He said: "Energy represents about 25pc of our costs so the gas price clearly has a huge impact.
"Some growers will plant in December and they will be ready in March. But a lot of growers in the UK could not afford to heat the greenhouses this December and January because of the high energy prices.
"So we said we would plant later, and wait until the gas price comes down in February, so now we will get our crop five or six weeks later at Easter.
"Clearly the majority of the UK's tomatoes in December, January and February are imported, but there would usually be British tomatoes in March if not for the energy crisis."
Charles Hesketh, regional policy manager for the National Farmers' Union (NFU) in East Anglia, said: "A lot of growers have taken a conservative business decision to scale back this year.
"If you combine that with other challenges like labour shortages, it is a perfect storm that we are seeing across multiple sectors in the east."
Those issues have triggered fears of prolonged shortages and rationing of products such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, cauliflower and raspberries, following a shortage of eggs at the end of last year.
Speaking at a national industry conference in Birmingham, NFU president Minette Batters warned that many food sectors are struggling with "huge cost inflation", labour shortages, low prices, and the impact of bird flu in the poultry industry.
"As a result, UK egg production has fallen to its lowest level in nine years," she said. "Which means there were nearly a billion less eggs produced in 2022 compared to 2019.
"Production of salad ingredients like tomatoes and cucumbers are expected to fall to the lowest levels since records began in 1985."
She demanded "action not words" from the government, adding: "It is not sustainable for farmers and growers to continue to sell below the cost of production."
Norfolk farmer Rebecca Mayhew, of Old Hall Farm near Bungay, said the tomato shortage and energy crisis proved the need for consumers to seek out seasonal produce.
"We are spoilt," she said. "If you want a salad at this time of year, make a nice coleslaw, or use beetroot and carrots or pulses."
Andrew Opie, a director at the British Retail Consortium, said "difficult weather conditions in the south of Europe and northern Africa" have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables.
"However, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce," he said.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here