Quake hits food supply

The food supply in Nelson is being affected by the Canterbury earthquake with customers being warned product choice may become minimal.

Damaged distribution centres in Christchurch mean that in some cases supermarket supplies will have to come from Auckland instead which will lead to delivery delays and some shortages.

Progressive Enterprises national communications manager Penny Newbigin said today the company would use truck, ferry and rail transport to deliver supplies to its supermarkets.

The company redirected orders which would have gone to Christchurch to Auckland on Saturday morning. Stores will receive deliveries daily but initially there may be a lag in time for the first deliveries. The delivery of dry goods are mostly affected.

"But shops should be carrying enough stock," she said.

Nelson Fresh Choice owner Mark A'Court said the Progressive distribution centre in Hornby supplied about 60 per cent of the store's products, mostly dried and tinned goods. Customers wanting choice would be inconvenienced as there would be less of a range of products to chose from as orders were taking longer to arrive from Auckland.

"We used to order in the morning and get it the next morning and now we are ordering it in the morning and not seeing it for three or four days."

The impact would most likely be felt on Wednesday when selection will start becoming limited and if distribution issues didn't improve it would gradually become a supply issue.

"For the first week there's not really any panic because I think there's enough of everything but what they absolutely want will be limited – that will probably be until Friday – and then after that it will be who knows really."

There were no problems with meat, vegetables, milk and bread.

Nelson New World owner Greg Guy said deliveries from the Foodstuffs centre had not arrived over the last two days but there was plenty of stock on hand. An order is expected from Christchurch tonight or tomorrow morning.

- © Fairfax NZ News