Domesday Live

Why have food prices gone up so much?

Food prices rose fast after energy, fertiliser and transport costs shot up, and bad harvests around the world pushed them higher. Shops and producers pass on costs, and prices fall back slowly even when the original cause eases.

Why it happens

• Costs along the whole chain. Farming, making, packing and delivering food all use energy, fuel and labour. When those cost more, the price on the shelf follows.
• Poor harvests and world prices. Bad weather and wars have hit crops in places that supply the world, and the UK imports a large share of what it eats.
• Wages and staffing. Farms, factories and shops have paid more to find workers, and the national minimum wage has risen.
• Trade checks and the pound. A weaker pound makes imports dearer, and new checks on some goods from the EU have added cost and paperwork.
• Prices come down slowly. A fall in inflation means prices are rising more slowly, not that they are falling. Shops tend to keep higher prices once they are in place.