Remember the great satsuma scandal of 2024?
Don’t worry. This time, we didn’t cause the commotion.
The headlines screamed of supermarket shortages of our namesake however, and shoppers were sent into a spin at Christmas.
Tesco even unveiled “hybrid mandarins” to fill the gap, though let’s be honest – no one’s rushing to put those in a stocking.
Fast-forward a year and the spotlight swivelled. It’s not satsumas on the missing list anymore but something greener, humbler, and the loyal sidekick to almost every British meal: peas.
Yes, peas. The freezer staple. The easy win with fish fingers. The thing your mum told you to eat because “they’re good for you.” And suddenly they’ve become the star of yet another food shortage drama.
Farmers across Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and East Yorkshire reported this summer that pea harvests are down by as much as 30%.
A spring drought and freakishly high temperatures left pea plants wilting like interns at their first PR pitch.
Unlike satsumas, which we can ship in from sunnier climes, peas are proudly homegrown – so when Britain’s weather misbehaves, there’s no back-up plan.
Of course, it isn’t just peas. Grocery inflation is up again, hitting 3.7 per cent in June – the sharpest rise since early 2024.
Fruit and veg have taken the brunt, which means your weekly shop costs more while offering less.
Last year it was satsumas. This year it’s peas. Next year? Who knows.
The point is that our food chain is more fragile than a celebrity’s reputation after an ill-timed tweet.
We don’t even have to stretch back far for another fruity fiasco.
Only months ago, banana shipments were disrupted by Pacific storms, leaving Britain’s best-selling fruit harder to find than a politician willing to answer a straight question.
So here we are with three shortages in quick succession: bananas, satsumas, peas. The media laps it up because the stories are universal. Everyone eats, everyone shops, and everyone loves a bit of drama in the fruit and veg aisle.
And the British public? Predictably brilliant.
We grumble, we meme, and then we move on.
The satsuma shortage triggered a fierce debate about whether clementines were an acceptable substitute (spoiler: they weren’t).
Banana lovers turned to pears. Now peas are under threat, and the internet is already suggesting everything from edamame beans to diced courgette as stand-ins.
But the truth is, food shortages aren’t new. What is new is the way we tell the stories – and how quickly they snowball in the age of rolling news and Twitter threads.
And here’s the bit where we tip our hat as PR professionals. A pea shortage on its own? Inconvenient. A satsuma shortage? Mildly annoying.
But give it a headline, a supermarket spokesperson looking serious in a hi-vis jacket, and a few quotes from frantic shoppers, suddenly you’ve got national news.
That’s what we do every day at Satsuma.
We don’t grow the crops (our green fingers are decidedly orange).
But we know how a small story can be peeled, chopped, and served up in a way that captures attention. We understand how perception shapes behaviour, and how a throwaway inconvenience becomes a cultural talking point.
If peas can make the front page, just imagine what your business story could do with the right seasoning?
So yes, you may have to forgo peas with your pie this autumn. You may even have to explain to your children why their favourite freezer friend is missing. But remember: last year it was satsumas. Next year it could be sweetcorn. Or strawberries. Or gin. (Now that would be a crisis.)
In the meantime, pour yourself that drink (with lime, if citrus hasn’t vanished again), enjoy what is available, and never underestimate the power of a good story.
Because food fads come and go – but great storytelling sticks. And that’s something Satsuma will never run out of.
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