New Zealand is experiencing a nationwide shortage of Royal Galas. On Friday, retailer Countdown confirmed the Ministry for Primary Industries had put a hold on its imported Royal Gala apples resulting in supply issues. A spokeswoman said its stores nationwide were experiencing the shortage.

But there was some "great" news with New Zealand supply back next week. "We'll have new season, locally grown Sunrise apples in store late next week and Royal Gala towards the end of January. We're sorry for any inconvenience caused by this shortage and are working with our growers and MPI directly to help mitigate any further shortages."

A spokesman for Biosecurity NZ told stuff.co.nz that a single consignment containing royal gala from the United States was put on hold before Christmas after a possible fungal disease was detected during inspection at an Auckland transitional facility.

It said one container had since been released after its lab staff confirmed there was no biosecurity risk. "At this stage, we expect the second container will be released shortly," he added.