When some UK supermarkets removed the lids from tubs of hummus, there were complaints from shoppers. But for many, the latest dip problem is arguably worse – a nationwide shortage of taramasalata.

Industrial action at Bakkavor, a large supplier of the fish roe dip, has caused a “short disruption” to the supply and availability of taramasalata at supermarkets across the country.

Employees at Bakkavor’s Spalding site in the Midlands launched strike action about six weeks ago over pay.

Tubs of own-brand taramasalata were out of stock online at Waitrose, Sainbury’s and Tesco, the UK’s largest grocer. The Marks & Spencer dip was also unavailable at Ocado online. The supermarkets have been contacted for comment.

In a statement, the Bakkover said: “There has been a short disruption to our supply of taramasalata, but drawing on the skills based across 21 UK sites, production steps up again next week.”

Consumers expressed their irritation at the missing dip, which some claim they haven’t seen in fridges for months. One wrote on the social media site X: “I’ve been looking for taramasalata since September!!! I’ve tried multiple supermarkets in different towns and none anywhere.”

Another joked that it had “ruined” their lunch plans.

The dip has a distinctive salty and tangy flavour, and is a staple of traditional Greek meze. Guardian critic Jay Rayner devoted a whole section of his book Nights Out at Home to the dip.

Bakkavor said that the strike action would not have a long-term effect on food supply and that its Christmas ranges were manufactured at the company’s other sites.

The British Retail Consortium acknowledged there were taramasalata availability issues but said retailers were “adept at managing supply to ensure the impact on customers is kept to a minimum and they can purchase goods as normal”, according to the FT.

The Unite trade union said that 700 of the Spalding factory’s 1,400 workers were on strike, but Bakkavor said only 450 employees were not attending work.

According to the Unite union, workers at the company’s Spalding site are demanding a pay rise of 81p an hour and most workers at the site are paid £11.54 an hour.

In a statement issued last week, Donna-Maria Lee, chief people officer at Bakkavor, disputed Unite’s claim that the company had carried out years of real-term pay cuts.

She said Bakkavor’s pay offer was “well above the national living wage and inflation”, and added that the pay rate for the lowest-paid workers had risen by 22.8%, and by 21.2%for everyone else.