Tesco has responded to customer complaints regarding the shortage of a popular food item.

Throughout March, many customers hoping to buy the supermarket’s brand of kidney beans, black beans, butter beans, cannellini beans and chickpeas were left empty handed.

“Why is no one talking about the fact there is a bean shortage in @Tesco?” one person wrote on X/Twitter.

Another chimed in: “What’s happening to your range of own brand tinned beans. Nothing is in stock and for the last few weeks?”

“WHERE ARE THE BEANS AT TESCO,” another rather concerned shopper posted.

Weeks after axing a popular Clubcard feature, Tesco has now apologised for the lack of beans, which have been affected by a supply issue, telling shoppers: “We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

Other brands of the item are available, but Tesco’s own-brand beans are a cheaper version favoured by many customers. The shop’s own-brand baked beans in tomato sauce is in stock as normal.

The development comes after the shop announced it would give away food for free in its pursuit to end food waste and hit its net zero targets.

In March, the supermarket trialled a “yellow sticker” system with marked prices of £0 for food that is about to go out of date, in a change from its usual reductions which see food discounts typically limited to 90 per cent.

The company tested the change in a small number of its Express stores for shoppers who visit past 9.30pm.

Tesco aims to give unsold food to charities, but some of it has been used to generate gas that can be burned for energy in a process known as anaerobic digestion, counted as waste.

As part of this new trial Tesco will still give food to charities, while staff with get priority for yellow sticker items that had been reduced earlier in the day.