National beetroot crisis sees eBay sellers auctioning off cans for eyewatering sums
- People are taking advantage of the national shortage
- Aussies won't see it back on shelves for a few more weeks
- READ MORE: Nationwide shortage of carbon dioxide leaves shelves bare
eBay sellers are capitalising on desperate Aussies looking for a simple slice of beetroot, amid a national shortage of the vegetable.
Overpriced listings for tins of beetroot have sprung up on the e-commerce website, with one seller listing a single 425g tin of Edgell sliced beetroot for an eye-watering $65.78.
Another seller offered shoppers a 850g tin of Golden Circle whole baby beetroots for $39.09, leaving customers to decide whether they should spend big or go without the tasty veggie.
The staggering prices come as consumers have been met with empty shelves due to a national beetroot shortage after the New Zealand-based Golden Circle cannery was taken out by Cyclone Gabrielle last year.
However, the cyclone might not have spurred such an issue for beetroot lovers across the country had the cannery remained in Brisbane, where it was located before Golden Circle was bought by Kraft Heinz in 2008.
The national shortage of beetroot has seen sellers list tins for staggering prices (pictured)
Whole baby beetroots are selling online for $39.09 (pictured)
The cannery moved to Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, in 2011.
A focus on Australian-grown vegetables could help prevent future shortages, with a spokesperson for Australian vegetable and potato industries' peak body, AUSVEG, saying this situation 'highlights the need to ensure Australia has sufficient food manufacturing and processing capability to meet domestic need'.
'As a net importer of tinned or processed vegetable products, Australia is often at the mercy of international supply chain factors when it comes to supply of some product lines,' the spokesperson said.
They said the country's national vegetable supply was one of Australia's strengths, with an 'ability to produce most commodities year round'.
'That means any short-term reductions in supply from individual regions in Australia due to weather events or other factors are, in many cases, able to be filled by production from other regions,' they said.
A Kraft Heinz spokesperson said that while many crops – including beetroot – were impacted by the cyclone, customers could expect to see their burger staple back on shelves in the next few weeks, building to a normal supply over the next few months.
Beetroot should return to supermarket shelves in the next few weeks
High immigration has caused a 'humanitarian disaster' by making housing unaffordable as supply fails to keep pace with population growth, a think tank says (pictured is Sydney's Wynyard train station during peak hour)
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