Retail giant Woolworths says its shelves are now fully stocked, following widely publicised shortages of meat and vegetables earlier in March.
This was due to a combination of “internal challenges” with suppliers, as well as persistent rain, in the case of some vegetable products.
“Woolworths stock levels have returned to normal, and our customers’ favourite products are now readily available,” a Woolworths spokesperson told IOL.
“Weather issues have persisted in some parts of the country, but we have sourced the items from alternative areas in the interim.”
The retailer said last week that the supplier responsible for the meat shortages had resolved its internal challenges and that production had recommenced on March 7.
It said at the time that the product would take a few days to navigate the supply chain.
Woolworths said the fresh produce shortages, affecting items such as spinach, lettuce and cauliflower, were largely due to the heavy rains that had fallen in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. However, the retailer said it had worked hard to source produce from other regions in order to plug the gap.
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The meat and vegetable shortages had mainly affected Gauteng, with many customers having posted pictures of near-empty shelves on various social media channels.
In a tongue-in-cheek post on X, South African comedian Rory Petzer described “Apocalyptic scenes at Woolworths”.
Apocalyptic scenes at Woolworths. 😭❤️🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/4K4hH2ijzP
— Rory Petzer (@RoryPetzer) March 5, 2025
In response to Petzer’s and other customers’ complaints, Woolworths said it was sorry for the inconvenience and asked customers to “bear with us” as they worked on resolving the issues.
IOL