TikTok Causes Cucumber Shortage in Iceland

A viral TikTok trend has caused a surge in demand for cucumbers in Iceland, with supermarkets in the country reporting a doubling of sales and a shortage of the vegetable, the BBC reports .

The publication writes that the increase in demand for cucumbers occurred after a video went viral on TikTok with a recipe for a salad made from grated cucumbers, sesame oil, garlic, rice vinegar and chili oil.

The recipe has proven so popular that farmers have been unable to meet the rapidly growing demand, according to the Icelandic Farmers Association (SFG). One supermarket chain, Hagkaup, has admitted that cucumber purchases have more than doubled, although it has questioned whether the surge in demand for the vegetable is linked to the social media trend.

SFG marketing director Kristin Linda Sveinsdottir said the recipe had proven "really popular" and there had also been increased demand for the salad's other ingredients.

“This is the first time we’ve seen anything like this,” Sveinsdottir said, adding that if the TikTok trend had taken off in early summer, “when cucumber production was in full swing,” the shortage wouldn’t have been noticeable.

At the same time, Sveinsdottir noted that other factors could also influence the increase in cucumber purchases, such as the return of schools from the holidays, which increases the burden on food supplies. The emergence of a shortage could also be influenced by the fact that farmers at this time of year renew plants that no longer produce large harvests.

The BBC notes that the viral trend originates in Canada. TikToker Logan Moffitt has been posting new cucumber recipes on his page almost every day since July of this year. His account has five and a half million subscribers.

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