COMING BACK: Coles fresh produce second-in-charge Tim Simpson restocks the fruit and vegetables at the Tamworth store after the floods blocked the supermarket’s delivery trucks. Photo: Robert Chappel 300113RCA05
FLOODS in northern NSW and Queensland caused a drought of fresh food in some of the region’s supermarkets this week.
On Tuesday Tamworth residents reported there being almost no meat left in some Coles stores and few fruit and vegetables.
Jim Cooper, from Coles corporate affairs, did not confirm the extent of the problem but said stores in the northern region had been affected by the floods.
Mr Cooper said key road routes from the north had been blocked and it had been difficult to get deliveries through.
Fresh produce and meat were impacted, he said, as were some other grocery lines.
But more fresh food was available yesterday after deliveries made their way into stores on Tuesday night.
Another delivery was expected last night and Mr Cooper said it was hoped stores would be getting back to normal by this afternoon.
Woolworths spokesman Benedict Brook said some stores across northern NSW, including at Moree, Inverell and Glen Innes, had experienced delays in deliveries because of closed roads and as such, had lower than usual levels of such items as fresh produce.
Some products sourced from flood-affected areas had run low, he said, but the Tamworth store had not been particularly affected.
Mr Brook said stores had been stocked up on “essentials”, such as toilet paper and nappies, ahead of the anticipated weather event.
It could be a few days before it returned to normal, he said.
