The media has recently paid attention to the lack of cauliflower throughout Europe and the fact that importers are doing everything possible to satisfy consumer demand, despite the lower availability of the product. Icelandic import company Bananar also faced the effects of the shortage.

Company spokesperson Bardur Nilsson says the following: “Cauliflower is very popular in Iceland, and recently we have seen a constant consumption of this vegetable. This product is grown here from July to the end of September, but we also import it to meet demand. ”

The company currently imports cauliflower from the Netherlands, and in winter it imports cauliflower from Spain. Nilsson says: “The weather in Europe has done tremendous damage to the cauliflower and broccoli crop this summer, making it difficult for us to import these vegetables.”

Extreme weather in Europe caused not only a lack of cauliflower. The heatwave also affected the harvest of other crops and damaged the products that were transported during this period.

Nilsson: “We import our herbs from the Netherlands, and then ship them by air from Belgium to Iceland. During the heat, the temperature rose so high that part of the cargo was already damaged upon arrival. ”

About 5% of the products that the company imports are organic. Nilsson: “Everyone is interested in organic products, but only a very small percentage of consumers are actually willing to pay more for them. Although people are interested, they do not want to spend more, and therefore organic AGF represents only a small part of our imports. ”

The company hopes to increase the number of products it imports from the UK. Nilsson is especially interested in soft fruits, spinach and salad.