Meals costs within the UK have soared at their quickest fee for nearly 45 years, with grocery costs rising by 19.1% within the yr to April.

“I do know individuals are paying extra for his or her bag of potatoes or bag of carrots, but it surely’s not as a result of we would like more cash,” mentioned Pembrokeshire potatoe farmer Tessa Elliot .

“Our prices have gone up drastically and we’re nonetheless attempting to grasp the place we are able to even make a revenue.”

Money stream is at all times a problem for potato farmers, who can wait greater than a yr to be paid for his or her crops after harvesting.

However for the reason that Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, meals manufacturing prices have jumped.

“For fertiliser we had been paying £290-odd and it shot as much as £900 for that very same bag,” mentioned Tessa, whose household has run Cresswell Barn Farm for greater than 40 years.

“Seeds had been up £40 a tonne. Labour prices went up. There was nothing that didn’t go up double, if no more.”

Whereas these prices undermined farmers’ earnings, in addition they translated into greater prices for customers, with meals costs rising by practically a fifth between April 2022 and April this yr.

The Competitions and Markets Authority is at the moment investigating all supermarkets over excessive meals and gasoline costs amid allegations that prospects are overpaying.

However supermarkets insist they’re working to maintain costs “as little as potential.”

Matthew Hunt runs Filco, an unbiased chain of supermarkets in Wales, mentioned: “It’s very a lot an ideal storm for the time being, you’re seeing value will increase coming from all instructions – the three main ones are gasoline, labour and power.”

He mentioned his firm was not passing on the total value will increase to prospects: “It’s squeezing how we function and we now have to take a look at ourselves and see the place we are able to take prices out of our operations.”

The UK authorities has floated the concept of a voluntary cap on primary meals costs, however that’s had a chilly reception from the business.

“It’s a pleasant soundbite,” mentioned Matthew. “How it will work in shops is complicated to me.”