Mallorca experiencing problems with the supply of ice

This was a consequence of increased production costs - electricity and packaging. In addition, there have been factors driving greater demand - high temperatures since May; more tourists than had been expected; and more people going out, now that there aren't the Covid restrictions that there were.

Supermarkets have been applying rationing. They are allowed by law to limit sales in exceptional situations. Mercadona says that it has been restricting sales to five bags per person in order to prevent hoarding.

In general, problems with supply are resolved within 24 hours. Supermarkets explain that shortages are when certain products are unavailable "for a long time". This has not been the case with ice. They add that specific issues have been occurring in various parts of the island, whether they are tourist areas or not, as well as in the rest of Spain. The reason is "unusual increase in demand due to the heat".

Pertrol stations that sell ice have also been affected. The president of the service stations federation in the Balearics, Joan Mayans, says that there is very high demand for ice because of the high temperatures. He explains that his supplier has been running out of ice at weekends.

Restaurants, however, aren't being affected - for the moment anyway. The president of the CAEB restaurants association, Alfonso Robledo, says that this is because restaurants are supplied by factories in Mallorca which kept reserves during the winter and are continuing with their production.