Potato prices have soared as challenging weather conditions continue to affect supply across the UK.
Some UK supermarkets have shrunk potato pack sizes from 2.5kg to 2kg without a decrease in price, equating to around a 25% price increase per kilo to shoppers, Mail Online reported.
It comes as many farmers have been unable to plant crops, including potatoes, during the spring season due to waterlogged fields, with many crops that have been planted being of poor quality.
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As a result, stores are expected to have smaller, more wonky veg on shelves.
UK farming unions are now calling on major retailers to support the industry following the “challenging and disruptive” weather conditions.
They are asking supermarkets to commit to local sourcing, to respond “promptly to any request” from its members for a review of the terms of their contracts, including on price, as well as flexibility on product specification if produce does not fully conform to the exact description previously agreed.
The unions have also urged that retailers continue promotional efforts to support local suppliers, with the likes of Morrisons, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Co-op, and most recently Tesco, all having launched dedicated ‘Best of British’ pages on their websites in a bid to make it easier for customers to shop British grown and produced food.
Last June, potato, carrot and onions hit their highest wholesale prices in over 40 years, as food inflation continued to soar across the UK.
At the time, Nationwide Produce group MD Tim O’Malley said that while there were many factors behind the high prices levels, such as the war in Ukraine, rising energy prices and labour shortages, the primary reason was the weather.
