tomatoesKarl-Josef Hildenbrand/DPA/Press Association Images

Just as the weather finally makes us think more of salad than soup, there's bad news from the food industry, because the price of some home-grown salad vegetables has shot up almost 50% over the last year - and things are only going to get worse.

So what's going on, and what does it mean for you?

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Rising prices

The Grocer Magazine, the publication for food retailers, has released data from Mintec, a market analysis company. The business has highlighted that the harvest for a variety of salad vegetables has been terrible in the UK. Tomatoes have been particularly damaged, with the cost of salad tomatoes up 45% and the price of cherry tomatoes increasing 22%.

Nick Peksa, a director at Mintec, told The Grocer: "It is all to do with the weather. Lots of crops, like tomatoes, depended on a mixture of sunshine and rain. While there has been lots of rain in various parts of the country there has been not a lot of sunshine."

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To add to the problem, recent hot and humid weather has been breeding fungal diseases which blight tomato crops, and which could harm later crops.

According to Defra, the cost of a cos lettuce is up 9p in a year to 50p, the price of carrots has risen 14p a kg, to 46p, while cucumbers are up 9p per kg to 66p.

So what does it mean for you?

The effect at the supermarket shouldn't be immediate, because they tend to buy their vegetables in advance contracts months before they hit she shelves - which means the vegetables in the shops will have been bought this spring, when prices were more affordable.

When the higher prices filter through, supermarkets are likely to respond by buying cheaper foreign imports rather than risking putting prices up. It means your cost at the checkout may not rise at all - but the food miles you clock up will have increased substantially - as will the time from the field to the table.

The real difference will be if you buy vegetables from smaller shops, direct from farms through veg box schemes, or when you eat out. Salad in all of these places is going to reflect the overall price increases, because there are no advance contracts to protect these retailers.

It may mean that you'll be forced back to soup before you have a chance to savour any kind of summer at all.

Save money on shopping

  • 1) Know the price of everything you buy
    <p> </p> <p> This takes time, but once you know the cost of a phone call, putting the dryer on, or a bag of potatoes, it enables you to judge far better how much you can afford to consume.</p>
    1) Know the price of everything you buy
  • 2) Shop around
    <p> </p> <p> Once you know the base price, you are in a position to keep your eyes open for a better offer. If you see a discount you can judge for yourself whether it actually constitutes a bargain. For bigger things like utilities it enables you to do a proper price comparison and see if you can cut your bills.</p>
    2) Shop around
  • 3) Trade down
    <p> </p> <p> Don't just assume that the premium range is better, try the every-day brand, or even the basic version and see if you spot the difference. Likewise, consider trading down your supermarket from one of the big players to local markets or discounters like Aldi.</p>
    3) Trade down
  • 4) Plan
    <p> </p> <p> If you plan what you buy to match what you actually cook and eat then not only will you be able to budget far more effectively, but you'll also waste much less and find your money goes further without you having to try.</p>
    4) Plan
  • 5) Think creatively
    <p> If you can't think of a way to get your meat for less, consider a vegetarian day once a week. If you can't find petrol any cheaper, then work on making your driving as efficient as possible. The more you can think of clever alternatives the less you will have to make painful cuts to make ends meet.</p>
    5) Think creatively


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