Supermarkets confident of supply lines

6:00 am on 5 September 2010

Foodstuffs is confident it can maintain food supplies into Christchurch, following the earthquake on Saturday.

The supermarket operator says stocks of bottled water, candles and batteries were quickly bought out in the hours following the quake, but other supplies held up well.

Foodstuffs South Island says one of the company's distribution centres will be out of action for some time, but it has managed to re-jig operations.

Chief executive Steve Anderson says the company will do its utmost to make sure there will be enough food on the shelves and expects to be able to start re-supplying supermarkets in Christchurch on Sunday.