From the BBC:
A no-deal Brexit threatens the UK's food security and will lead to higher prices and empty shelves, retailers are preparing to warn MPs...
If the UK were to revert to WTO rules, the retailers warn that would "greatly increase import costs that would in turn put upward pressure on food prices"...
The letter spells out the UK's food relationship with Europe, with nearly one third of the food in the UK coming from the EU.
*sigh*
I can't track down the actual wording of the letter, which was no doubt a bit more nuanced than the BBC claim.
1. At worst, one-third of shelves will be empty. let's not forget that Norway and Switzerland seem to manage somehow, it can't be insurmountable.
2. What retailers should have said (and quite possibly, did say) is "Dear Government, for the time being, whatever happens with Brexit, can you please exempt food imports from any sort of quotas and duties and ensure that Customs wave through anything that was clearly grown in an EU Member State?".
This in turn boils down to "Dear Government, please make sure that nothing changes post-Brexit". "Doing nothing" should always be first on the list of options to be considered, and in the circumstances, would clearly be the best for all concerned.
Debate Magazine
