Please don’t buy more food than you need. Food retailers are NOT closing. Deliveries continue daily. There are plentiful supplies. If you panic buy, folk on tight budgets may not be able to buy what they need. please keep being kind and brilliant, and don’t panic buy #herts

Panic buying only creates needless shortages we don’t currently have and forces retailers to impose limits. We DIDN’T need to panic buy during the spring lockdown. We DON’T now. Food is plentiful. Please be kind, think of those on a budget and those who work in our shops.

Panic buying puts more strain on foodbanks because people on a tight budget who can only buy what they need are worst affected by panic buying

Key workers suffer from panic buying. It puts shop workers under huge stress and when carers and others shop for vulnerable people they may not find what they need

Even at its most strongest level of restriction, several other countries avoided food shortages by shopping as normal. England was one of few countries which had shortages. Panic buying caused this, not Covid

Around £1bn was spent on food during the first wave of panic buying in March. Over a quarter of that was thrown away according to several studies