Described by government officials as one of Spain's worst natural disasters, the flooding has already killed more than 200 people and destroyed many farms – and the rains are not even over yet, meaning more destruction is on the way.
Supermarkets across the United Kingdom are reportedly warning their customers to expect much less fresh fruit and vegetables on shelves for the next several months at least – though all other food imports will be unaffected, officials claim.
Government officials in England are said to be assessing the potential impact of all this flooding on the nation's food supply chains.
"There is no risk to overall UK food security as a result of the flooding," declared a spokesperson for the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in a statement.
"However, we are assessing the potential impact on individual product lines, and are ready to support the industry should any food supply chain issues occur."
(Related: Earlier this year, Europe launched a food crisis war games scenario depicting a coming global food crisis – is the flooding in Spain the fulfillment of that?)
Will there be enough oranges for everyone?
At the current time, most of the world's citrus supply, and particularly the orange supply, comes from Spain. Valencia alone, where Valencia oranges come from, produces about 60 percent of Spain's citrus products, according to the Institute of Agriculture Investigations.
Spain is also a leading exporter of almonds, avocados and grapes, the latter of which are used in winemaking. To lose these staples on top of citrus products will be noticeable at grocery stores that import them.
Should there end up being a major disruption to the UK's food supply as a result of all the flooding in Spain, government officials are planning to take actions to support UK supermarkets, which also face shortages of other Spanish imports like rice as well.
The UK is heavily reliant on Spain for fresh fruit and vegetables, says Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi, a professor of climate change, food systems and health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Mabhaudhi is warning of a "gap in terms of the supply" already being seen at grocery stores.
"We don't know how long it will take farmers to get the land back into production and be able to recover," he added. "So then you look at, at least two seasons where the supply from Spain is still going to be disrupted."
Dr. Umair Choksy, a senior lecturer of management at the University of Stirling Management School, added that any food shortages in the UK caused by Spanish flooding "are unlikely to be immediate."
"It will take time to fully assess the extent of the damage to crops and infrastructure," Choksy said. "However, the impact on the UK is likely to be most noticeable in the coming months, as the effects on Spain's harvests and supply chains unfold."
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed that another 5,000 troops and 5,000 police officers and civil guards are being deployed to the Valencia region to help provide aid and support.
This deployment, according to Sánchez, is the largest ever in Spain during peacetime, demonstrating the severity of the flooding.
"The response that is being given is not enough," Sánchez acknowledged, adding that there are "severe problems and shortages" as a result of the flooding.
Many people, he continued, are now "desperate people searching for their relatives" and "people who cannot access their homes" because their homes were "destroyed and buried by mud."
"I know we have to do better," he concluded.
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