False: An image shows an article published by The Guardian about a tomato famine in the U.K.

By: Gayathri Loka
March 3 2023

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Context 

The U.K. is currently experiencing a supply shortage of tomatoes in supermarkets. The BBC reports that "the government says the shortages, which are expected to last for several weeks, have been predominantly caused by poor weather in Spain and North Africa where they are produced." A social media post claims that The Guardian published an article on the "tomato famine" and includes an image of what appears to be an official article titled "BREXIT: Britain will look back at the Great Tomato Famine of 2023 and wish they were less racist." The alleged article contains the byline of Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and is dated February 25, 2023. The image has the same logo and font The Guardian usually uses. 

In Fact 

Logically contacted The Guardian, who said, "the screenshot shared has never been a published Guardian headline or story." A search through The Guardian's archives also confirms the article does not exist.

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown told AFP that she did not write such an article, and her last article for The Guardian was published in 2016. It is clear the social media post fabricated the image to make it appear as though The Guardian had published such an article.

Experts have attributed the tomato shortage to weather conditions and the energy crisis, Sky News reported. The BBC added that since Brexit, the U.K. is no longer in the single market of the European Union, and thus all plant produce coming in from Europe requires customs declarations and pre-notification on the government's IT system. 

The Verdict 

The image in the post is fabricated. The Guardian and Ms. Alibhai-Brown have both confirmed that they did not publish or write such an article. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.