Not to be too disheartening, but disarray seems to be the theme of Britain in 2023. One of this month’s calamities is that we are running out of food. Somehow, a country that has about 70 per cent of its land dedicated to farming has come a cropper with, well, crops; if it sounds surreal, it is in fact nightmarish. The fruit and vegetable shortages are expected to run on for another month or so, but it could be longer: the blame lies with Brexit and the weather, yes, but it also lies with the supermarket powers who have systematically driven farmers out of business by forcing deals that aren’t sustainable. Blame may also lie with a changing attitude towards diet: eating in season ceased to be the thing — is it customers who demanded, say, asparagus year-round, or did we just get a taste for it once it was offered?
Fruit and vegetables are one problem, but there are others. Figures yesterday from data analytics group Kantar revealed that prices across the board have risen again as grocery inflation reached 17.1 per cent in the four weeks leading up to Februrary 19. For context, this is the sharpest incline in food inflation ever recorded by the group, and the fallout means the average household will have to find an additional £811 each year for their shopping. There are other costs going up too — whether pints in a pub or simply popping the heating on — which means cooking at home requires ever-increasing creativity. But, with the shelves empty, it also requires ever-increasing supplies in the cupboard that won’t go off.
