Shoppers feel crunch as price of produce climbs
The conflict in the Middle East is impacting the price of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in the UK.
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Notable Quotes
"These increases are not sustainable. It's absolutely frightening."
— Jimmy Russo , Executive
"The main issue we have right now is actually the impact of the conflict on energy and on fertilisers."
— David Georges Robert Laborde , Academic
"The more farmers will be impacted, the less they are going to plant or they are going to use less fertiliser."
— David Georges Robert Laborde , Academic
"Before the crisis, we were expecting declining commodity prices due to very good harvests in the US and Asia."
— David Georges Robert Laborde , Academic
"The big recent changes are the war causing spikes in diesel, fertilizer, and chemical prices."
— Jeffrey Dorfman , Academic
"Labor shortages have been a very real feature of the food value chain over the last 14 months, and that means that they’re having to pay more for overtime."
— Chris Barrett , Academic
"if the Middle East conflict continues, it could eventually hit the supply of essential staples and push global prices higher."
— Torero , Academic
Key People
A professor of applied economics and management at Cornell University.
Director of FAO agrifood economics.
A professor of agricultural and resource economics at North Carolina State University.
President of the Lea Valley Growers' Association and co-owner of Valley Grown Salads.
Torero is an expert associated with the FAO, discussing global food prices and supply issues.
Tags
All Coverage
The conflict in the Middle East is impacting the price of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in the UK.
The UN reported a second monthly rise in global food prices as the Middle East conflict drives up energy and fertilizer costs, threatening future harvests and yields despite currently stable market supplies.
An analysis of produce wholesale prices found significant price spikes in staples like tomatoes, bananas, and yellow onions since the war began, with experts warning of further increases if the conflict continues.
The FAO reports global food prices rose in March, driven by higher energy costs, with vegetable oils and sugar leading gains amid supply pressures and geopolitical tensions.
World food commodity prices rose in March for the second month in a row, due largely to higher energy prices linked to the conflict escalation in the Near East, according to the latest benchmark measure released by the FAO.
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