Britons might face a shortage of certain tea varieties, one of the nation's favorite drinks, as the supermarket sector alerts about potential shipping disruptions in the Red Sea, Reuters reported.

The British Retail Consortium reported experiencing "temporary disruptions" in certain black tea products, with delays also observed in flavored tea lines, according to an industry source.
 
Despite the major supermarket groups displaying sufficient tea supply on their websites as of Tuesday, companies have cautioned that the duration of disruptions to Red Sea shipping will determine the potential for empty shelves in Europe, including tea products.

The caution about potential delays marks the first for a food item, with previous warnings primarily issued by clothing retailers after Yemen launched a phase of operations against Israeli and "Israel"-bound ships in response to the occupation entity's genocide in Gaza.

The big picture

As the world's fifth-largest tea importer, Britain relies on the Red Sea route for more than half of its imported tea, mainly from Kenya and India. The unprocessed tea is shipped to the UK for processing and packaging, contributing to Britain's position as the 10th largest tea exporter globally, as per the Institute of Export & International Trade (IEIT).

"There is temporary disruption to some black tea lines, but the impact on consumers will be minimal as retailers are not expecting significant challenges," said Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, which represents the major supermarket groups, as quoted by Reuters.

IEIT Director General Marco Forgione warned that tea could be the initial product affected by the supply chain crisis. Utilizing the alternative shipping route around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope may extend the journey by 10-14 days compared to the route via the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Several prominent UK clothing retailers, including Next, Pepco Group, Primark, and Matalan, have expressed concerns about the potential repercussions of disruptions to Red Sea shipments.

Meanwhile, the Ansar Allah movement is united in its pursuit of two main objectives: compelling "Israel" to agree to an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and ending the blockade on Gaza.

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that Israeli occupation forces committed several massacres in 24 hours only, killing 133 Palestinians and injuring 162, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression on Gaza up to 28,473, in addition to 68,146 injuries.

Read next: What the West needs to know about Yemen's Ansar Allah