A pasta shortage is set to hit UK shelves following a poor harvest of durum wheat, according to Eurostar Commodities.  

The news comes as Canada, a major producer of the grain, reported that its 2021 harvest is down a third from five million tonnes to just 3.4 million tonnes.  

Eurostar Commodities said that pasta prices are estimated to spike due to this year’s harvest failing to meet current global demand.  

According to the company, producers are purchasing raw materials at “record-high” costs and farmers are restricting their supply of wheat to trigger a surge in prices. 

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The ingredient experts have labelled the shortage as an “almost emergency” situation, resulting in “panic and global speculation.”  

“The market is completely out of control and as a result there has been an approximately 90 per cent increase in raw material prices as well as increases in freight,” Eurostar Commodities ingredients expert Jason Bull said.  

“This is a dire situation hitting all semolina producers and all buyers of durum wheat across the globe. 

“We expect to see shortages on supermarket shelves and increasing prices which will ultimately be passed onto consumers. 

“We may also see substitutions whereby pasta will be produced with soft wheat flour rather than hard durum wheat.” 

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