The prime minister, Scott Morrison, says he has spoken with Australia’s largest supermarkets about their supply chain arrangements, as panic about the coronavirus outbreak has caused a rush on essentials and canned food.

Both Coles and Woolworths have reassured customers they have increased deliveries and expect to replenish stock at affected supermarkets quickly.

British supermarkets have drawn up “feed the nation” contingency plans to help cope with panic-buying brought on by a potential escalation in the spread of the coronavirus. Australian retailers have told Guardian Australia they have permanent plans in place to deal with extreme pressures on the supply chain.

“It is not unusual … to face disruption, which can occur for many reasons, from environmental factors such as floods, cyclones and bushfires to third party disruptions,” Coles said in a statement.

“As a result, we have comprehensive response plans in place across our network that cover contingencies including resourcing and product sourcing. We consider this planning part of our core operating model.

“We are working with our suppliers and transport partners to manage our response to the coronavirus and minimise any long-term impacts on product availability for customers.”

Coles and Woolworths both said they had seen a sharp increase in demand for long-life food, household staples and health items in some supermarkets. Social media images have shown empty shelves and shortages of items like toilet paper. Supermarkets were already experiencing shortages of antibacterial handwash and sanitary items.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Morrison urged consumers to be calm.

“Just before coming into this press conference earlier today, I spoke to both Coles and Woolworths, just to get an update on their arrangements, and I appreciate their response and the steps they are taking to assure people and their own customers,” Morrison said.

“They would send the same message I am sending you today. It is important that people just go about their business and their normal processes in a calm manner. They had spoken to me about the arrangements they have in place around their supply lines and things like this, but I would just urge people to be going about their business in the normal way when it comes to those matters.”

The Australian Food and Grocery Council, which represents companies that manufacture and supply supermarket goods, said it was working with suppliers and others across the supply chain, including supermarkets, to ensure minimal disruption to product supplies from China.

“China is currently experiencing supply-chain challenges with closures on some domestic national highways and cancellations of air freight into and out of China,” the council’s acting CEO, Geoffrey Annison, said.

“This is affecting the sales of perishable goods and sales through cross-border e-commerce. The scale of any impacts remains uncertain. The AFGC is working with members to navigate and mitigate any issue that may arise.”