Supermarket price warning for tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers | UK | News
Shoppers could soon see higher prices for everyday items including tomatoes (Image: Getty)
Shoppers could soon see higher prices for everyday items, including tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is already starting to affect the cost of producing food in the UK.
It comes as disruption to key global supply routes is pushing up the price of fuel and fertiliser, both of which are essential for farmers. NFU president Tom Bradshaw said that some of the first price increases could be seen within weeks.
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The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is starting to affect the cost of producing food in the UK (Image: Getty)
He told the BBC: “For our glasshouse horticultural production, things like cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes – it’ll be over the next month, six weeks that we see those cost increases coming through to the retailer.
“And then for some of our field-scale produce and some of our crops and milk and things like that, it’ll be the next three to six months that we start to see those prices coming through.”
A large amount of the world’s natural gas, crude oil and fertiliser usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has now been blocked for more than three weeks.
This has made it more expensive to grow crops, particularly those produced in heated glasshouses such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
Mr Bradshaw said the situation could have wide-reaching consequences. He added that the pressures “span the whole food supply chain” and warned it was something the “Government needs to take very seriously”.
Some of the first price increases could be seen within weeks (Image: Getty)
He also said the impact of the conflict on global production “will turn the world supply upside down, and it will have a dramatic impact”.
While farmers are already facing higher costs, it is not yet clear how much of that will be passed on to shoppers.
The NFU said some businesses may absorb part of the increase, but added that “some costs will inevitably be passed on to the consumer”.
Other parts of the farming industry could also be affected. Livestock and dairy farmers may see costs rise sooner as they often buy fertiliser as needed, while arable farmers growing crops like wheat and barley may feel the impact later as they tend to buy supplies in advance.
There are also concerns about rising red diesel prices, which are widely used in farming machinery.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said disruption to shipping routes could also affect the availability and price of some goods.
It is not yet clear how much of that extra cost will be passed on to shoppers (Image: Getty)
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, told the BBC: “Amidst this volatile backdrop, it is more important than ever that the government keeps other inflationary pressures within its control to a minimum to protect households.”
He added that retailers and suppliers were “adept at managing this type of disruption” and “will work hard to minimise the impact on customers”.
Farming minister Angela Eagle said she was “monitoring the developments in the Middle East and the impacts for our food and farming sectors”.
She added that concerns about the “price transparency” of red diesel had been raised with the Competition and Markets Authority.
Senior ministers are expected to meet next week to discuss the wider impact of the conflict, including food prices, energy bills and the cost of living.
