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MENDIP TIMES
Days of cheap food may be over
SUCCESSIVE governments have realised the value in keeping food prices low to help control inflation. With the increased global With NICK movement of food and GREEN a more concentrated group of retailers, this has aided each government. Food spend per household as a percentage of income in the UK in 1961 was 28.20%. In 2021 this had dropped to 10.80%. The cost of food has reduced in significance to almost being a disposable element. Three issues are coming which will take off whatever brake food has had on inflation. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will impact on global grain supplies. On its own, this will affect the price of anything which uses grain whether to feed animals or produce any human food which
uses flour. Russia produces a huge amount of the world’s fertiliser which won’t be available to use on various crops (including grass) around the world. This will impact on yields and mean less to go around. The public concern over global warming is influencing consumer habits and farmers are being encouraged to farm the environment rather than produce food which has the potential to reduce what is available to shoppers. In a perfect storm these three issues have the potential to disrupt global supplies to the extent those who can’t afford the food will go hungry. As a relatively wealthy nation we will see food prices increase quite quickly. The days of cheap food will disappear and I think as consumers we will need to think more about our own food security and, dare I say it, go back to how our predecessors shopped in the 1960s, local and seasonal. On a more positive note the North Somerset Show is being held on the first
May Bank Holiday. As well as it being an event which welcomes anyone with an interest in farming, food and the environment, it is part of many farmers’ “social season”. Global pandemics allowing, these agricultural shows are fixtures in the farming calendar and a date when farmers know they can have a day away from the farm and enjoy the fruits of theirs and others labours.
Nick Green is Farms Director for Alvis Bros Ltd based at Lye Cross Farm. He is responsible for the farming and estate business and is passionate about British food and farming. As well as the business, he is involved with a number of local and national farming charities.
PAGE 10 • MENDIP TIMES • APRIL 2022
