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☆ Brexit border checks: Britain braces for less choice and higher prices on food imports
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Hanna Ziady | Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The new regime for food imports is perhaps the starkest example of the painful border bureaucracy that UK and EU businesses must contend with in the wake of Brexit. An additional cost of that scale will “significantly increase food prices and reduce choice,” the federation’s CEO Phil Pluck wrote in a letter to environment and food minister Steve Barclay earlier this month. But here too Brexit hasn’t helped, ending as it did the free movement of EU workers on whom British farmers had relied for decades. In addition to Brexit-related challenges, UK farmers have been squeezed by soaring input costs, including those of fertilizer, energy and labor. “I’m not hugely in favor of subsidies, I’m in favor of fair food prices,” Maddocks said.

Persons: Eddie Price, ”, Phil, Steve Barclay, Andrew Aitchison, Andrew Opie, “, Jack Bobo, “ It’s, Price, hasn’t, ” Tom Bradshaw, “ You’re, Chris Ratcliffe, Brexit, ” Philip Maddocks, I’m, ” Maddocks Organizations: London CNN, European Union, EU, Britain, Birmingham Wholesale, CNN, Chain Federation, British Retail Consortium, University of York, Food Systems, University of Nottingham, Birmingham Wholesale Market, Bank, National Farmers ’ Union, Bloomberg, Getty, PDM Locations: United Kingdom, Britain, France, Spain, artichokes, Italy, Birmingham, Dover, Port, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, North Africa, England, Sandwich, Australia, New Zealand, English, Shropshire

☆ Brexit: The UK economy still can't cope with the consequences of leaving the EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Tuesday’s announcement also highlights long-running concerns that border checks on food imports from the EU — which supplies 28% of the food consumed in Britain — could choke off supplies. Physical inspections have been pushed back to the end of April, with the final controls on EU imports — safety and security declarations — postponed to October 2024. Some UK industry groups welcomed the latest delays to border checks, which, they said, will add costs and friction to supply chains. The UK inflation rate is the highest in the G7, with consumer prices rising 6.8% in July compared with a year ago. Beyond inflation, food supply disruptions remain a lingering concern in the UK, which imports just under half of all the food it consumes.

Persons: Brexit, ”, Shane Brennan, ” Brennan, Andrew Opie, Rishi Sunak, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: London CNN, European Union, London School of Economics, EU, Chain Federation, British Retail Consortium, Britain, and Drink Federation Locations: Britain, United Kingdom, EU

☆ Explainer: Why is UK food inflation so stubbornly high?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

While market leader Tesco (TSCO.L) said on Friday there were "encouraging early signs" that food inflation was starting to ease across the market, it remains stubbornly high, running at over 19% in April, according to the most recent official data. Below are possible reasons why:NOT ALL COMMODITY PRICES ARE FALLINGSome global commodity prices have fallen enabling supermarkets to pass on reductions in areas such as milk, bread, butter, pasta and oils. Generally speaking, food retailers and their suppliers operate with long-term contracts. Having eventually secured better prices, suppliers are reluctant to give up those hard won gains. Some politicians and trade unions have raised concerns about profiteering by food retailers, saying they have kept prices high despite falls in commodity, energy and shipping costs.

Persons: Andrew Bailey, reassurances, Ken Murphy, Andrew Opie, Tesco's Murphy, James Davey, David Evans Organizations: Bank of England, Tesco, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations, British Retail Consortium, THE, Reuters, Brexit, London School of Economics, Supermarkets, Markets Authority, Thomson Locations: Britain, China, Japan, BREXIT, London, Brussels

☆ Britain is getting so desperate to tame inflation it’s talking about food price caps
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Food inflation dipped slightly to 15.4% in May, but that’s still the second-highest rate on record. But chocolate and coffee prices are rising as global commodity prices soar, British Retail Consortium CEO Helen Dickinson said. Price controls anyone? “The current food price shock does not warrant such an intervention,” he added. Brexit is responsible for about a third of UK food price inflation since 2019, according to researchers at the London School of Economics.

☆ UK govt to ask supermarkets to cap prices of basic food items - Telegraph
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 28 (Reuters) - The British government is looking at plans to have retailers cap the prices of basic food items such as bread and milk, the Telegraph reported, as the cost of such essentials continued to rise in the double digits. However, asked about such price controls, health minister Steve Barclay told BBC TV it was "not my understanding" on Sunday. 10 Office is in talks with supermarkets on a deal similar to one in France where major retailers charge the "lowest possible amount", the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Major supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury's have announced price cuts on some food items in recent weeks. High food prices are a direct result of the soaring cost of energy, transport, and labour, as well as higher prices paid to food manufacturers and farmers," BRC's Andrew Opie said.

☆ In the 'Garden of England', loss-making orchards are cut down
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Sarah Young | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The fruit that helped give the "Garden of England" its name hundreds of years ago no longer makes money so farmer James Smith is tearing down his orchards. Turning a profit from selling red apples to supermarkets has been a struggle for years, he said. In Kent, Smith is removing 80% of his orchards. Last year growing apples lost him 150,000 pounds ($186,000), a loss which would have been higher had it not been cushioned by other income streams from his land. He's also planting a vineyard and is growing small amounts of cherries, the fruit which legend has it prompted King Henry VIII to first call Kent the "Garden of England".

☆ More food shortages could add to Britain's price pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The tight conditions have helped to push British food price inflation to levels not seen for almost 50 years. Industry data from market researcher Kantar on Tuesday showed UK grocery price inflation hit a record 17.5% in the four weeks to March 19, underscoring the problem for policymakers. Many UK food retailers are buying less, knowing their customers cannot afford to spend so much, taking a hit to their profits in the process. Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, which represents the major food retailers, said supermarkets were confident about the resilience of food supply chains, particularly with the approaching UK growing season. The grower who spoke to Reuters, and who asked not to be named, said there was too much focus on food inflation and not enough on the strength of the whole system.

☆ British supermarkets are rationing fruit and vegetables as shortages bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — Britain's biggest supermarkets are limiting purchases of certain fruit and vegetables as supply shortages lead to empty shelves. It said the move was due to poor weather conditions overseas and was working with suppliers to "get things back to normal." The U.K. government has not stated Brexit as a factor, blaming weather conditions. EU member Ireland is also experiencing fruit and vegetable shortages. U.K. Food Minister Mark Spencer said Monday he had spoken to retailers about how they are responding to shortages and asked them to build preparedness for future incidents.

☆ UK grocery price inflation hits record high as more stores impose rationing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —A measure of UK grocery price inflation soared to a record high this month — that’s more bad news for consumers already facing a shortage of fruit and vegetables that has led to rationing at major supermarkets. “Our latest research shows that grocery price inflation is the second most important financial issue for the public behind energy costs, with two-thirds of people concerned by food and drink prices,” McKevitt said. Mark Spencer, the UK food and farming minister, held crisis talks with supermarket bosses on Monday to discuss their response to the shortages. UK growers were not harvesting tomatoes, peppers and eggplants at this time of year, as is usually the case, because high energy costs this winter had delayed planting, said Lee Stiles, LGVA secretary. UK apple farmers normally buy at least one million apple trees each winter for planting.

☆ UK supermarkets Tesco, Aldi and Asda are rationing fruit and salad vegetables
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Asda told CNN that it was temporarily limiting purchases of some items to three packs per customer. These include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. Morrisons told CNN that it had imposed a cap of two packs per customer on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. Sainsbury’s (JSAIY), the United Kingdom’s second-largest food retailer, told CNN it had no plans to ration the sale of fruit and vegetables. The high-end supermarket chain told CNN that it was “monitoring the situation” but had no plans to introduce rationing.

☆ Britain facing tomatoes shortage after overseas harvests disrupted
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Britons are facing a shortage of tomatoes after supermarket supplies, including at market leader Tesco (TSCO.L) and No. 2 Sainsbury's (SBRY.L), were impacted by disrupted harvests in southern Europe and North Africa. "However, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce," he said. Last year Britain's grocers suffered supply chain disruptions due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine but availability was much improved in the run-up to Christmas, with an exception being eggs. In winter, Britain has typically imported around 90% of crops like cucumbers and tomatoes, but has been nearly self-sufficient in the summer.

☆ Marea Britanie riscă să se confrunte cu o penurie de produse proaspete de Crăciun
▼ + stars: | 2020-12-22 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +2 min

"Toate produsele pentru micul dejun tradiţional de Crăciun sunt deja în ţară şi în cantităţi mari", a informat grupul într-un comunicat. "Ne aprovizionăm cât mai mult posibil din Marea Britanie şi studiem modele de transport alternativ pentru produsele care vin din Europa", au adăugat reprezentanţii Sainsbury. În schimb, Ian Wright, directorul general de la Food and Drink Federation, este mai pesimist şi afirmă că suspendarea sosirii camioanelor din Europa în Marea Britanie "este posibil să provoace perturbări în aprovizionarea cu produse proaspete de Crăciun în Marea Britanie". Magazinele şi companiile, în general, s-au străduit să îşi facă stocuri înaintea datei de 1 ianuarie 2021, fiind îngrijorate că, în lipsa unui acord între Marea Britanie şi UE, formalităţile administrative vor provoca întârzieri în livrări. Un număr de aproximativ 10.000 de camioane tranzitează în fiecare zi Canalul Mânecii în perioadele de vârf ale cererii de dinainte de Crăciun.

Persons: Andrew Opie, Ian Wright, Boris Johnson, Crăciun, Rod McKenzie Organizations: Retail Consortium, britanici, Road, Association Locations: Europa, brocoli, Dover, UE, Brexit, Mânecii

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