Drought and low snowfall in Europe may cause the price of imported foods in the UK to increase, warn environmentalists.
Fresh fruit and vegetables imported from the Mediterranean are the most at risk of price increases.
Data from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) found that more than a quarter of UK food imports worth £16bn came from the Mediterranean, reported the BBC.
Spain, which accounts for 7% of UK food imports worth £4bn, has seen recent intense heat and drought spells leading to shortages of popular produce.
Experts warn more price increases may be set to come.
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It follows the European Union’s climate change service Copernicus’ findings that the Mediterranean has warmed 20% faster than the global average, with experts predicting that temperatures will increase by a further 2.2 Celsius.
The consequences of such extreme weather has been seen in supplies of groceries such as tomatoes, with the cost of importing the products rapidly increasing over the past 18 months.
The Office for National Statistics data shows that the price of tomatoes – two-thirds of which are imported – hit a 50-year high of £3.26 per kilo last year.
Other popular items at risk of price increases, include strawberries, cauliflowers and broccoli, which are unable to grow in the UK out of season.
Two thirds of cucumbers and a fifth of onions are also imported.
ECIU International Programme head Gareth Redmond-King said: “Along with soaring gas prices since Russia invaded Ukraine, this has already added more than £600 to the average UK shopping bill over the last two years.”
The climate news comes amid discounter Lidl creating long-term contracts with its British root veg suppliers as it attempts to create security for farmers having to battle through unpredictable weather patterns.
