Food price inflation rises unexpectedly: comment

“The last few days have been a reminder that an uncritical reliance on volatile and unreliable forces leaves the UK with little room to manoeuvre. Food inflation ticking back up shows this vulnerability extends even to something as basic as food affordability. The foods most exposed to climate impacts [2] are seeing the sharpest price rises: inflation for bread has doubled [3], while beef, milk, chocolate and coffee are all still rising at double-digit rates [1].
 
British farmers are already on the frontline of this instability, facing weather that swings from too wet to too hot and dry, with four fifths now worried about whether they can make a living under climate change [4]. These pressures are being driven not just by domestic conditions but by climate shocks across a tightly interconnected global food system. When risks are pushed down onto farmers and consumers, and costs are passed through supply chains, price volatility becomes the norm rather than the exception.
 
A food system exposed to climate disruption, energy shocks and trade volatility weakens economic resilience in the most practical sense: the ability to keep essential goods affordable. Rebuilding that resilience means cutting emissions to net zero, backing farmers to adapt to a changing climate, and sharing risk more fairly across supply chains so that shocks are less likely to translate into higher prices at the till.”