British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson has said there is no need for the public to be stockpiling due to SLOT ONLINE fears that firms could grind to a halt because of the high numbers of staff isolating.
"I don't think there's any need for members of the public to be stockpiling what they buy. There's plenty of food in the country," Dickinson said.
"What we're seeing is pockets of issues in specific places where case numbers are particularly high and the most important thing is that the government acts now before the situation does get more serious, so that we don't see more empty shelves in more places."
Supermarkets have warned the rising number of retail workers being forced to self-isolate is beginning to affect the availability of some products.
The Co-op said it was "running low on some products", while Iceland said shops might have to be shut.
Sainsbury's said it "might not always" have the exact products people wanted, but downplayed fears of shortages saying the problem was not widespread.
Iceland also urged shoppers not to panic buy, saying it was not necessary.