Supermarket price warning over Iran war – 4 fruits ‘severely’ impacted | UK | News
Berry growers warned that prices would rise due to the war in Iran. Since the conflict broke out last month, fears have flared over the price of everything from rice to oil. The British Berry Growers Association said input costs had risen due to disruption in the Middle East. The organization says this includes fuel and fertiliser, which has a knock-on effect on the final price of fruit on UK supermarket shelves.
Prices could rise as the most popular fruits in the UK are strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, Fruitnet said. Nick Marston, chief executive of the British Berry Growers Association, said growers were facing a “secondary impact” as production and transport prices rose. In addition, fruit growers, like other producers, have been faced with higher energy costs in recent years.
“The conflict in the Middle East is certainly having a knock-on effect on the costs faced by British fruit growers,” Nick said. “Foreign transportation costs are rising as shippers tie their tariffs to rising diesel prices.”
He added: “The Strait of Hormuz is not only vital for global oil transport, it is also a key shipping route for the global fertilizer trade. As this faces severe disruption amid conflict, the knock-on impact on our members’ input costs is serious.”
He said British fruit growers were facing cost increases on a number of fronts, which was putting significant pressure on prices.
“There is a clear opportunity for retailers and growers to work in partnership to ensure these additional costs are recognized fairly across the supply chain,” he added.
Fruits are not the only foods whose prices some expect to rise as a result of war. “Global conflicts, alongside climate change, are causing food shortages, supply chain issues and price rises in the UK and beyond,” investor and Agronomics Chief Executive Jim Mellon told the Daily Express.
Meanwhile, retail analyst Marty Bauer said: “This extra cost rarely goes away and many of Britain’s biggest retailers will probably do anything to prevent it from affecting their margins, so unfortunately this tends to be passed down the chain while avoiding deterring consumers altogether.”
Prices of things such as rice, bread, sugar, bottled water and milk could rise as a result of conflicts in the Middle East, according to George Phillips, commercial manager at Wains, the UK’s largest World Food distributor and wholesaler.
