In terrible news for “burger with the lot” fans Australia-wide, we’re living through a beetroot crisis – supermarkets have confirmed that tinned supplies of the red veg are running critically low.
American multinational Kraft Heinz bought our once beloved Golden Circle in 2008 and stopped canning beetroot at its Brisbane factory in 2011, moving production over to New Zealand's Hawkes Bay. Nek minnit, Cyclone Gabrielle comes along and wipes out Hawke's Bay's beetroot farms (back in early 2023). Now, 13 months on, we're seeing the effects playing out in Australia's tinned food aisles – because our supplies of Golden Circle cans have been exhausted.
The addition of tinned beetroot to a burger is a very Aussie move, so who knew a major proportion of our tinned beetroot comes from across the ditch? The deficit in supplies from our New Zealand neighbours has highlighted the risks involved with relying on imported products – putting the pressure on Aussie farmers to level up their beetroot output.
And, although the tin shortage right now is real, stocks of fresh beet on Aussie shelves are looking healthy. According to the ABC, domestic production of beetroot increased by 10 per cent last financial year – and we can hope that the current crisis has highlighted the Aussie hunger for those sweet red slices.
While you might struggle to get hold of a tin of beet for your salad or burger this week (unless you're willing to shell out top dollar for it – one woman was actually selling a tin for $65 over on eBay), scoring a few fresh Aussie beets shouldn’t be a problem – time to get pickling.