Disastrous season means UK shoppers could pay 50 per cent more for pasta

In the UK, shoppers can expect to pay more for their pasta in the coming months amid shortages of its key ingredient following a disastrous growing season.

A scramble for durum wheat has pushed the price up nearly by 90 per cent this summer after drought and soaring temperatures hit farms in Canada, which is one of the biggest producers.

There are also supply issues in Italy, with one food industry expert predicting a packet of spaghetti could end up costing up to 50 per cent more.

Jason Bull, a director of Eurostar Commodities said that the high price could result in pasta shortages in supermarkets. 

Eurostar Commodities imports more than 10,000 tonnes of food ingredients each year.

He further added that the magnitude of the cost increases involved meant they would have to be passed on to consumers. He estimated a 500g packet of spaghetti could increase in price by 60p, or 50 per cent, to £1.80.

Also read | World leaders remember 9/11 victims and survivors

Bull was quoted by The Guardian as saying, "The market is completely out of control and as a result there has been an approximately 90% increase in raw material prices as well as increases in freight".

He added, "This is a dire situation hitting all semolina producers and all buyers of durum wheat across the globe. Companies are buying at record high prices.”

The warning came as the supermarket chain Morrisons was alarmed that prices would rise across the retail industry in the coming months.  

Tosin Jack, Mintec’s commodity intelligence manager said that the concerns about the significant decline in the North American durum wheat crop following the dry weather and the impact of the cold spring on the quality and quantity of the Italian crop, had caused prices to skyrocket.

She was quoted by The Guardian as saying, "Canada is a big exporter so this has fuelled fears of a supply shortage."

“At the same time, the quality issues in Italy mean that Italians are potentially going to rely more on imports this year. So we have a situation where there is less to go round and demand is not going to go down … so if you really want pasta you are going to have to pay more.”