Transport Issues Cause UK Haribo Shortage

Everyone loves a tasty bag of sweets every once in a while, but a shortage of lorry drivers means that there are delays in deliveries of Haribo sweets to the UK, threatening our love of jelly babies, gummy bears, and super sour Tangfastics.

The Guardian reports that the German company that makes the popular confectionary has said that like many other manufacturers and retailers, it was ‘experiencing challenges’ that were hampering supplies.

There have already been warning that the coronavirus and Brexit will cause a shortage of qualified HGV drivers in the UK, and could soon leave supermarket shelves looking bare by the summer.

In a letter sent to Boris Johnson on 23 June, the industry called for his intervention to allow access to European labour, asking the Prime Minister to introduce temporary worker visas for HGV drivers, adding them to a ‘shortage occupation list’.

The delivery issues with Haribo sweets has affected all their ranges, from Tangfastics, Goldbears, and Starmix. The company said it was ‘working with partners across the food and drink industry’ to address the problem.

According to the Road Haulage Association, there is currently a shortfall of around 60,000 drivers, and it has been estimated that 30,000 HGV driving tests did not take place last year due to the pandemic.

Richard Burnett, the chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, which coordinated the letter to Boris Johnson, said: “Supermarkets are already reporting that they are not receiving their expected food stocks and, as a result, there is considerable wastage.”

However, a government spokesman said that with the country's new post-Brexit immigration system, the industry should look to hire local workers instead, adding that it was well aware of the shortage, but that progress was being made concerning HGV driving tests and recruitment.

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