Chicken tikka masala prices soar due to climate change

Coverage in the i of Round Our Way and ECIU’s research

October 2023: a research collaboration between Round Our Way and ECIU showed that the ingredients for a home made chicken tikka masala soared by 37% in just two years due to the impact of climate change on food production.

The research found that extreme weather home and abroad, like floods and heatwaves, has driven up the cost of curry ingredients. Essentials hit include tomatoes, peppers, onions, rice and cooking oil. For example: drought in 2022 reduced UK onion yields by 30%, extreme weather in North Africa and Southern Europe in early 2023 led to shortages and price increases for tomatoes and peppers, and unpredictable weather is threatening supplies of rice in south and south-east Asia including in India, who banned exports of basmati rice in July after damage to crops from heavy rain.  In addition, rising gas prices are affecting chicken, beer, butter and other dairy products.

Roger Harding, Director of Round Our Way:

“Many of us are having to cut back on takeaways and now even a home-cooked curry is rocketing in price thanks to climate change’s impact on the weather.

"We all want to be able to treat our families now and again at a reasonable price, but if politicians don’t start taking the impact of climate change seriously we are going to face bigger bills for everything from the basics to a monthly chicken tikka masala.”

Tom Lancaster, land analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU):

“British people love a curry, but climate change is forcing us to fork out more for one of our nation’s favourite dishes. With climate-driven extreme weather wrecking harvests in the UK last year, and around the world this summer, we can expect to pay more for our weekly curry in the future unless we do more to reach net zero emissions, as an essential step to preventing the worst impacts of climate change.”

The research was covered by the i and some local newspapers.