Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Business

UK food prices rise as hot weather slashes harvest yields, say retailers

by July 1, 2025
July 1, 2025
UK food prices rise as hot weather slashes harvest yields, say retailers

UK food price inflation accelerated in June as soaring temperatures and extreme weather hit fruit and vegetable harvests, pushing up prices at supermarket tills.

New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show annual food price inflation climbed to 3.7% in June, up from 2.8% in May. This marks the first overall rise in shop price inflation in nearly a year, as consumers continue to feel the squeeze from climate-related crop disruptions and wider cost pressures.

Retailers have directly linked the increase to hot, dry weather reducing crop yields, in a sign that the climate crisis is beginning to exert a more visible and lasting impact on UK food prices.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: “We predicted a significant rise in food inflation by the end of this year, and this has been accelerated by geopolitical tensions and the impacts of climate change. Retailers have warned of higher prices for consumers since last year’s autumn budget and the huge rises to employer national insurance costs and the national living wage.”

The steepest increases in wholesale prices were seen in seasonal fruits, with gooseberries up 243% annually, blackberries up 25%, raspberries up 15%, and apples and strawberries up 7% and 3% respectively.

Volatile and extreme weather patterns are becoming increasingly costly for UK farmers. In addition to the effects of drought and high heat, wet weather during key planting seasons caused almost £1.2 billion in crop losses last year, according to industry estimates.

The impact of climate breakdown is now being felt globally, with poor harvests and geopolitical conflicts affecting supply chains and commodity prices. Earlier this year, high global temperatures led to a spike in chocolate prices as cacao crops in West Africa suffered, while coffee prices surged due to adverse weather in Brazil and Vietnam.

In the UK, the latest rise in food prices comes on top of significant business cost pressures. Retailers have repeatedly warned that recent fiscal policy decisions are forcing their hand on pricing. Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ autumn budget introduced a £25 billion increase in employer national insurance contributions and a 6.7% rise in the national living wage from April.

Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at NielsenIQ, which helps compile the BRC’s monthly figures, noted that weather and wider supply chain changes were contributing to inflation. “While the current spell of good weather is helping to boost demand at many retailers, rising prices could become a concern if consumer willingness to spend declines later in the year,” he said. “Which means we can expect retailers to reinforce their value-for-money messages over the summer.”

Total shop price inflation, which includes non-food items, rose to 0.4% in June, up from a slight deflation of -0.1% in May. Analysts expect retailers to continue balancing price pressures with consumer demand, particularly as economic uncertainty and environmental volatility persist.

Read more:
UK food prices rise as hot weather slashes harvest yields, say retailers

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Confidence in short supply among bosses as tax hikes shake business outlook
next post
Tech giants propose under-skin tracking and AI policing in radical justice overhaul

You may also like

Jobseekers rise at fastest rate in five years...

April 11, 2025

Is the cost of doing business in Australia...

September 26, 2022

New London Grand Prix stars in docks regeneration...

March 14, 2023

Farmers without solar panels could lose out on...

November 25, 2022

British Steel scraps redundancy plans after government intervention...

April 23, 2025

Getting to Know You: Andrew Martin, CEO of...

August 8, 2024

UK workers’ pay up nearly six per cent...

April 18, 2023

WorkL Secures £2M Series A Funding from Calculus...

June 14, 2024

Best Bitcoin Casinos in New Zealand: Top NZ...

July 30, 2024

What are the Top Digital Marketing Trends for...

February 23, 2023

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Motor racing dominates automotive sponsorship spend across the Americas in 2025, according to new data

      July 22, 2025
    • London Stock Exchange considers 24-hour trading to boost global competitiveness

      July 22, 2025
    • Mike Lynch’s estate hit with £700m bill as High Court rules in HP’s favour over Autonomy fraud

      July 22, 2025
    • Vauxhall owner Stellantis warns of €2.3bn loss as US tariffs and Europe slowdown take toll

      July 22, 2025
    • Chippie owner hit with ‘devastating’ £40,000 fine for alleged illegal hire amid crackdown

      July 22, 2025
    • Alibaba.com and Kickstarter join forces for $1M CoCreate Pitch to back global entrepreneurs

      July 22, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,546)
    • Investing (2,138)
    • Politics (16,147)
    • Stocks (3,222)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved