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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of drought on food price inflation.

Annual food and non-alcoholic beverages price inflation was 1.3% in July 2026, according to the latest Office for National Statistics figures, suggesting drought impacts have not yet fully materialised in food prices.

Defra anticipates that continued drought and future El Niño effects could affect yields and increase production costs, placing some upward pressure on food prices. However, global supply and demand are still expected to remain the primary drivers of UK food prices and any impacts of the drought are likely to take several months to appear in annual inflation figures. Defra continues to monitor effects on the food sector.