Montalbano, whose grandfather emigrated from Sicily in 1968 and started a nursery to provide local stores with fresh cucumbers, decided not to plant the first of the year's three cycles in January.Last year he paid 40-50 pence a therm for natural gas. Last week it was 2.25 pounds a therm, having briefly hit a record 8 pounds in the wake of Russia's invasion.
It means a massive contraction for the industry, threatening Britain's future food security, and further price rises for UK consumers already facing a bigger inflation hit than other countries in Europe following Brexit. In winter, the UK has typically imported around 90% of crops like cucumbers and tomatoes, but has been nearly self-sufficient in the summer.
Growers in the Netherlands, one of Britain's key salad suppliers, face similar challenges and have reduced exports. How far the increase in production costs will translate to higher prices on the shelf depends largely on whether supermarkets opt to absorb the difference themselves, or pass it on to consumers."Any cut in production from suppliers would undoubtedly put further pressure on prices," said Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at retail industry lobby group the British Retail Consortium.
Maybe I’ll have to substitute cucumbers with radishes on my cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches. Energy is needed for most everything we eat. When energy is expensive so is the cost of food.