‘This is a national emergency’: ‘Shortage’ of iconic Aussie product leaves shoppers desperate for answers

The humble tinned beetroot, a staple in households, has mysteriously disappeared from the shelves of Woolworths, Coles, and ALDI, leaving shoppers puzzled and frustrated.

This iconic Aussie buy, a beloved addition to hamburgers and salads, has been noticeably absent for weeks, sparking a wave of concern and curiosity among consumers.



Disgruntled shoppers have taken to social media platforms over the past month, expressing their bewilderment and disappointment over the unavailability of tinned beetroot.

The situation has been dubbed the 'great beetroot shortage' and even a 'national emergency' by some, with numerous social media posts attracting hundreds of comments from consumers eager to know when their favourite product will return.


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Shoppers took to social media their concerns about why no beetroot is available in supermarkets. Credit: Born of Convicts / Facebook


One shopper lamented, 'I cannot buy beetroot anywhere, not Coles, not Woolies and not even ALDI. Beetroot is simply no longer available, and nobody knows if it will return for a long time.'

Another echoed the sentiment, saying, 'The great beetroot shortage! Coles, Woolies and ALDI have no tinned beetroot! Woe indeed, fix it somebody and explain why!'

A third added, ‘There’s no beetroot in the supermarkets? This is a national emergency.’

The sudden disappearance of tinned beetroot from supermarket shelves has left many consumers scratching their heads.

Some have even approached store staff for answers, only to be met with similar confusion.

'Where has all the beetroot gone? It has been weeks now, and no beetroot on the shelves in my local store. I asked two staff in the [Woolworths] store, and they had no idea why,' shared a concerned shopper.



Finally, representatives from Coles and Woolworths have shed some light on the situation.

They stated that recent weather events have led to an unexpected shortage across the industry.

A Woolworths spokesperson explained, 'Due to adverse growing conditions, customers may notice varying supply levels of canned beetroot available across our store network.'

'We’re in close contact with our suppliers, and we’re working on contingency plans to minimise any potential disruption to our customers.’

‘We encourage customers to be flexible if the products they would usually purchase are not available.'


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Another shopper is asking for answers about the shortage of beetroot. Credit: Facebook


A Coles spokesperson echoed these sentiments, stating, 'Due to recent weather events, the availability of canned beetroot has been impacted across the industry.

‘We know how much our customers enjoy this product, and we expect to see more stock on shelves over the coming months.'

‘The good news is that our supply of fresh beetroot has not been affected, with plenty available across our stores and online,’ they added.

It’s understood that tinned beetroot products have already started returning to ALDI stores nationally after a period of reduced availability.



Recent weather events led supermarket chains to grapple with the harsh reality of plummeting essential food and supplies.

In a previous story, shoppers came across barren Coles and Woolworths fruit and vegetable stands.

At the same time, the refrigerated section was devoid of meat packs. What happened? You can read more about it here.
Key Takeaways
  • There's been a notable shortage of tinned beetroot across major supermarkets, including Coles, Woolworths, and ALDI.
  • Shoppers have expressed their confusion and frustration on social media, with some labelling the situation a 'national emergency'.
  • Supermarket representatives have cited adverse weather conditions as the cause of the disrupted supply of canned beetroot.
  • While waiting for tinned beetroot stocks to normalise, the supermarkets suggest their customers try the readily available fresh beetroot, and ALDI has begun restocking after a period of reduced availability.
Have you been affected by the beetroot shortage? Let us know in the comments below!
 
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Make your own and you will never buy canned beetroot gain
6 to 8 beetroot topped and tailed in a pot, water to cover boil until tender remove from water skin and slice place in clean sterile jar or two, get 2 cup's of the beetroot water in a pot add 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of vinegar, bring to the boil for a few minutes stirring until sugar is dissolved cool slightly pour over sliced beetroot cool seal put in refrigerator enjoy (tip, double the liquid to make sure you cover the beetroot)
thank you just written it down. i have an easy one for beetroot relish if you would like that.
 
The first cans to disappear were the Golden Circle tins and that was before Christmas. Then they came back so I grabbed a couple of tins as I was heading up to my van for a few weeks. I opened my first can and as always took out a slice to enjoy. WELL.... it was so tough, I could have resoled my shoes with it, tasteless, bitter and if the label had not said 'Beetroot' I would have not known what it was.... I looked at the can and to my discuss the product was from Indonesia. SO... here we have an iconic Australian company, packing a inferior product into their cans and selling it at the 'usual price' as what they usually charged. I tried a couple of pieces further into the can but after '2 weeks of chewing' I gave up. Cans went into the re-cycling bin, unknown produce went into the garbage. Some-one in the 3500's will dig it up and use it to cover space craft. A disgraceful act of increasing their 'bottom line' and degrading a once great Aussie product. A classic example to shoot down the 'Buy Australian' adds and backing 'our farmers.' Thanks Golden Circle for forcing me away from your products.
Grown and canned in NZ - they lost the whole crop to storms etc before harvest - will be back soon I believe. I bought 2 tins Edgells beetroot yesterday in Woolies - haven't been able to buy Edgell green peas for about 8 weeks - they did have baby peas yesterday.
 
I have spotted canned beetroot in Wollies but the price where it was often sub $1:00 it's now closer to $2:00
 
Tinned and bottled beetroot at Coles and Woolworths are back again on the shelves. Fresh bunches as well.
I made my own when they weren't around with fresh bunches. I refuse to support beetroot tins from China.
 
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Sorry but I think someone is telling porkies. Whole beetroot has been available but sliced Golden Circle hasn't been available for Months not weeks. Canned goods are usually packaged and stored, aren't they, I would have thought they would always have some stocked (supplier). Seems a bit sus that you can get whole Beetroot in a can and not sliced... Just saying
 
There are many connotations of simple things: Increasingly we hear of less people joining the frontline services operatons of our great Nation, including Policeing personnel. Now we might be stretching a bit to extrapolate this but, an elderly couple who I had pleasure of knowing in the 1970s always referred to Beetroot as "Policeman's delight". With no Beatroot to be had what sideline excitements are there now for a Policeman?
 
I only buy Golden Circle beetroot. Have tried other brands including cooking it my self. No thank you. Until Golden Circle returns to the shelves I will do with out. Yes I know Golden Circle is imported from NZ and I don’t care. I love it.
 
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We like eating beetroot on salads, burgers and sandwiches. However, I will not go into a deep depression if I cannot buy any for a while.

Funny thing. My mum hails from Europe. She said that in many parts of Europe, beetroot is considered an unnecessary vegetable and is fed to the pigs. No accounting for bad taste, hey.
 
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