Supermarket stocks of tinned plums, apples and corn are running low, and it could be a while before supplies bounce back, supermarkets say.

Shelves are usually stacked with tinned fruit and vegetables in the lead-up to Christmas, but thanks – or no thanks – to Cyclone Gabrielle, the preserved produce will be harder to find this summer.

The February cyclone affected much of the country and caused a “horticulture apocalypse” in Hawke’s Bay, where it impacted about 35 per cent of the region’s crops.

A Woolworths NZ spokesperson says the company is experiencing a “significant shortage” of locally supplied tinned fruit and vegetables because of the cyclone.

“The Hawke's Bay region is well known for being New Zealand's fruit bowl and Gabrielle destroyed huge quantities of crops during this year's key cropping season.

“We have been trying to get replacement supply from overseas growers, but we simply can't replace specific products such as our beautiful New Zealand plums.”

Woolworths hopes to have more New Zealand-grown fruit and vegetables after next year’s harvest.

Foodstuffs, which operates the Pak’nSave, New World and Four Square brands, is similarly affected, says spokesperson Emma Wooster.

“The price and availability of fresh produce is very dynamic with lots of different factors influencing the overall cost.

“Canned and frozen fruit and vegetables are generally more stable, but less product at harvest time can mean less availability down the line.”

However, Foodstuffs has good relationships with growers and suppliers both in New Zealand and overseas, which helps prevent long-term shortages.

“Any out-of-stocks are temporary, and we hope everyone can be patient until their pick of the bunch is back on the shelf.”

While Cyclone Gabrielle played a major part in this year’s widespread shortages, it isn’t the first time supplies of black doris plums had run low.

During a shortage in early 2021, a Wattie’s spokesperson said year-on-year demand outstripped supply as consumers devoured the tangy fruit faster than the company could grow and process it.

At the time, Wattie’s got its black doris plums from 30 Hawke’s Bay growers who were planting more trees in an effort to boost the volume of fruit available each year.

-Esther Taunton/Stuff.