Potato, carrot and onion prices have hit their highest wholesale prices in over 40 years, as food inflation continues to soar across the UK.
Prices for the three root vegetables are at “the highest level I’ve ever known, and I’ve been in the industry 40 years,” said Tim O’Malley, group MD of Nationwide Produce.
The supplier said that while there were many reasons price levels were high, such as the war in Ukraine, rising energy prices and labour shortages, but the primary reason is because of the weather.
“The red hot summer and the deep freeze just before Christmas in particular reduced yields massively and in the worst case, wiped out crops,” he added.
Some core lines at major retailers had also seen significant price rises since the start of the year, with some up by over 70%.
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In December, a report from the Food Foundation found that almost half of low-income families are buying less vegetables, as inflation and rising prices severely impact the UK.
“The stark reality is, we’re now at the back end of the season and have pretty much run out of crop so we’re relying heavily on expensive imports or we’re robbing the new season early crop,” O’Mallley said.
As a result, the supply of a variety of vegetable lines was now “desperately short”, and the situation was unlikely to improve for at least the rest of the month, the supplier told The Grocer.
