Why you need more dough for a pizza

In 2020 a diner in a central London Pizza Express could expect to pay £9.30 for the chain's classic margherita pizza. Now, the same meal costs £14.45.

- Rachael Healy

The 55% price increase is partly due to the pizza's constituent parts. Over the past five years, the cost of tomatoes has risen by 44%, cheese 39%, flour 16% and olive oil 188%.

Food prices in the UK have risen more rapidly than other costs. While overall prices across services and products in the UK have increased by 27% since August 2020, food prices have risen by 35%. In the previous five-year period, food prices rose by just 4.4%.

Food growers, manufacturers and retailers have been hit hard by a convergence of factors. The pandemic disrupted supply chains and increased labour costs. The war in Ukraine, a country that provided many vegetable oils, cereal crops and animal feed, led to a rise in the price of products. Then there's the impact of Brexit, climate change, new industry regulations and energy costs.