People fear European wildfires will raise food prices

ITV coverage of the report, available here.

Polling commissioned by us showed that 61% of Britons think the recent European heatwaves will make food prices worse in Britain. The polling also showed that 61% of people think that politicians should be doing all they can to stop extreme weather from getting worse; and, that 74% of people think that climate change is contributing to record high temperatures in Europe.

Our poll* came as a new report from Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) showed that in 2022 just over a quarter of UK food imports – 9.8 billion kilograms, worth just over £16 billion – came from the wildfire-hit Mediterranean region, most of which was staple fresh produce like fruit and vegetables. Spain alone, which is experiencing some of the worst climate impacts in the region, accounted for 7% of our food imports – worth £4 billion.

Roger Harding, Director of Round Our Way:

"The impact of the deadly fires on the continent are going to be felt here at home as it causes food prices to rise and as ever it's people on modest incomes who are going to be hit hardest. All of us want more breathing space from rising food and energy bills and that means politicians starting to take the impact of climate change seriously and bringing forward plans to tackle it."

Our polling was covered by ITV, the Independent, the Herald, Business Green and several local newspapers.

The ECIU report is available here.

*Polling conducted by Focaldata. Representative sample of 2,011 adults in Great Britain between 28-31 July 2023.