Fruit and veg shortages 'over by Sept'

"During the winter months that's where we get most of our fruit and veg ... in four to six weeks the rest of Australia should have some of those fruit and veg come online," Mr Salardini told AAP.

"We should have a lot less availability issues in four to six weeks' time." 

However, he warned that once more fruit and vegetables became available there could still be supply chain disruptions while getting them to market.

In a message to shoppers on Thursday, Woolworths warned of extreme shortages of fruit and vegetables.

The seasonal outlook said zucchinis, green beans, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, spring onions, Asian leafy greens and berries would remain in short supply until July. 

Poor weather has also affected fresh herb stocks, and availability is not expected to improve until August.

Woolworths general manager of fruit and vegetables Paul Turner said many growers were still experiencing the effects of heavy rain from earlier in the year. 

"This has pushed back the planting and harvesting of crops, with reduced availability continuing to be exacerbated by cooler temperatures and low levels of sunlight," Mr Turner said.

Coles has reported low supplies of berries, lettuce, beans, tomatoes, broccoli and herbs due to the devastating floods in northern NSW and Queensland, resulting in higher prices.

"Produce pricing is subject to supply but as soon as volumes recover, we will be working hard to get prices down for our customers as quickly as we can," a company spokesperson said.

In southeast Queensland, where the cold has resulted in undersized lettuces, Coles are selling two smaller lettuces for the price of one.

"These lettuces haven't fully grown due to the extremely cold weather," the spokesperson said.

"The initiative allows growers in the Lockyer Valley to use some of the iceberg lettuce crops that have been impacted on by the recent wet weather and will improve availability for customers."