Quote: Scarlet Pimpernell "
I have one last point how much of our current food supplies come from the EU because if this had happen next year we would have left. We have already said there would be food shortages so how bad would it have been with a pandemic.'"
This is a definite concern, even if the virus is over by then. Currently there aren't any interruptions to the food supply, the only reason the shelves are empty is because peoples buying habits have changed. After the transition period is over, there will be interruptions to the food supply. The large retailers have been warning about this but they were dismissed as Remoaners/Project Fear.
I think the supermarket situation now is a prelude to what we may see for the early months of 2021 and even when things adjust and settle down, we will be in a new era of a more limited range, higher prices and a lot of things being difficult to source consistently. The difference is the current shortages are more focused on non-perishables. The biggest hits to supply after the end of the transition period will be on perishables: fresh fruit and veg, meat and dairy.
Of course the government will give the line "we have robust food supply lines" before it happens and afterwards they won't want it to be associated with Brexit so will probably blame it on difficulties following the long-run impacts of the virus.