UK food prices could rise 34% by 2050 due to 'climateflation'

Britain is at risk of a worsening "climateflation" crisis amid the fallout from increasingly extreme weather that could drive up food prices by more than a third by 2050.

- Richard Partington

Sounding the alarm over the financial impact for UK households, the Autonomy Institute thinktank said climate-induced price increases for everyday food items risked pushing almost a million people into poverty without urgent government intervention.

It said the UK was at elevated risk - particularly from heatwaves and droughts - of disruption to food production and supply chains abroad and at home, which would have a knock-on impact for consumers. Official figures this month showed the UK's headline inflation rate rose by more than expected to 3.6% in June, as fuel and food prices added to the pressure on households.

Britain's largest retailers warned that hot, dry weather had reduced fruit and vegetable harvest yields, adding to last month's inflation rate.