“Climate change and rising costs are leading to a shortage of Dijon mustard in French supermarkets”, reveal it Guardianwhich is concerned about whether the supply of other countries could be affected.
According to French mustard producers, seed production has halved in 2021 due to poor harvests attributable to climate change.
In Burgundy, due to the few days of frost in April 2021, “we only got around 48% of expectations”explains Luc Vandermaesen, Managing Director of Reine de Dijon, a major producer in the sector, at Guardian. Crop deterioration has also affected Canada, the world’s second largest producer of mustard seed, due to a “heat dome” which dried up the crops.
“The war in Ukraine further reduced the supply of mustard seeds, says the British newspaper, both Ukraine and Russia being major exporters”. The increase in the price of seeds and that of raw materials such as paper, glass and wine has considerably affected the production of mustard pots.
The question is: will the shortages in France affect the British market? the Guardian questioned : “Retailers and producers seem calm for now.”