Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of (a) the reasons for which bread prices have risen in the UK and (b) the implications for the (i) security and (ii) sustainability of supply chains of those rises in bread prices.

Food price inflation is being driven by a combination of factors including increased global commodity prices and farm input costs. For food manufacturers production costs have also increased reflecting a tight labour market, increasing wages, energy price increases, fuel and packaging materials costs. Regarding bread prices, the largest upward effect in the annual CPIH rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages in the year to March 2023 (19.2%) came from the bread and cereals class increasing by 19.4% in a year, although the more recent drivers have been from increases in the price of biscuits and cakes within that class.

To ensure a consistent supply of food, the UK relies both on its own production and on imports. Sourcing food and its ingredients from domestic and global markets contributes to food resilience. Diverse supply chains and global trade in agri-food commodities increases availability and consumer choice.