High food prices here to stay, say shoppers

After months of record-high food price inflation, some 64% of UK shoppers believe the era of cheap food is at an end. Nearly four in five think the UK should become more self-sufficient in food, while three-quarters want the Government to do more to prevent further increases in the cost of food.

Previewing selected results of consumer research due to be published next week, UK Crop Protection Association (CPA) chief executive Dominic Dyer said the findings indicated a high level of awareness and concern among UK shoppers of the global factors affecting food price rises.

Mr Dyer was speaking yesterday (28 June) at the Inside Government conference Meeting the Global Food Security Challenges of the Future through Science and Innovation, alongside UK Government chief scientist Professor Sir John Beddington and Food Standards Agency chief executive Tim Smith.

The consumer research, conducted by market analysts Network Research, was commissioned by CPA to gauge the impact of the economic downturn on consumer attitudes to food shopping, global food security, and the use of science in food production.

Mr Dyer said the responses showed UK shoppers were clearly worried about the impact of factors such as population growth, climate change and energy supplies on the cost of food.


There was also strong recognition among consumers of the positive role science could play in boosting future food production to address these challenges.

Warning that higher food prices could drain consumer expenditure from other areas of the economy, with serious implications for economic growth and recovery, Mr Dyer called for action to unlock the productive potential of UK and EU agriculture.

"At last week’s G20 summit President Sarkozy of France highlighted the global imperative to boost agricultural productivity in response to the food security crisis," he said.

"But the EU remains in a state of denial over food security. Crop yields across Europe are stagnating, and without access to effective crop protection tools we could see a further 40% drop in food production. Yet Europe’s policy-makers are pressing ahead with new pesticide approval rules which could see products removed faster than they can be replaced, with no added benefit to human health or the environment.

"EU policies are not only out of step with the demands of scientists and food producers, but also with the concerns of consumers. There are exciting opportunities to increase food production through innovation in plant science, but these are not supported by current policies. We look to the UK Government to take the lead in pressing for the ’sustainable intensification’ of EU agriculture, and for a regulatory framework which fosters and promotes gains in food productivity using the most advanced scientific tools available," concluded Mr Dyer.