Fish and chips warning as cost set to soar amid shortages caused by weather

People who love fish and chips might have to pay more for the treat soon because there aren’t enough potatoes. PG Chips, a company that gives fish and chip shops their potatoes, says things are really bad, Birmingham Live reports.

PG Chips told its customers in a letter: “The potatoes on the continent are also very expensive for similar reasons to our own and by the time transport is added it makes them an unviable option.” Paul Graham, who runs the company, told The Sun that the price of a big sack of potatoes has gone from £10 to £25.

He said, “some in the industry are saying they could hit £30 by June”. He added: “Harvesting in 2023 was severely affected by the amount of rain we had throughout September, October and November”.

Andrew Crook, the boss of the National Federation of Fish Friers, said fish and chip shops already faced the biggest price jump since 1976 and it’s going to get worse. Last year, the cost of a big sack of potatoes more than doubled to £20, he explained.

He also said “People might just shut their shop due to all the other costs as well,” adding “They were barely keeping their heads above water, so this is going to be a step too far. Some shops will close until potato prices settle down but some it may put under.

“As supplies have decreased over the course of the season, good demand for fresh potatoes and finished products has led to buyers competing for dwindling stocks,” said Mintec analyst Harry Campbell.

“Chipping potatoes are typically not grown on contract which means any rises in free-buy prices are fully reflected in the prices paid by the shops. This has meant that chippies have seen major increases with little to no price stability.”