2 Sisters Chicken King warns of food inflation and less choice

Food is too cheap and prices need to reflect the spiraling costs faced by food manufacturers, he argued. British shoppers will soon be faced with a ‘great food reset’ with less choice and higher prices, thanks to rampant inflation and a continued lack of labour

Boparan said: “The days when you could feed a family of four with a £3 chicken are coming to an end – We need transparent, honest pricing. This is a reset and we need to spell out what this will mean. ​

“Food is too cheap, there’s no point avoiding the issue. In relative terms, a chicken today is cheaper to buy than it was 20 years ago. How can it be right that a whole chicken costs less than a pint of beer? You’re looking at a different world from now on where the shopper pays more.”​

His comments followed warnings of a cancelled Christmas last month​​, due to the carbon dioxide shortage threatening food supplies.

Labour shortages: Tip of the iceberg ​

The ‘Chicken King’ had previously urged Government to tackle the labour shortages plaguing the industry, but had now come to the conclusion that this would not solve all the industry’s problems – nor curb inflation.

While he welcomed the announcement of temporary seasonal visas for poultry workers, the long-term implications of the labour shortages needed to be addressed.

“Less labour means less choice, core ranges, empty shelves and wage inflation, and this isn’t going to change,” ​he explained. “We need to work with our supply chains and customers to solve these issues, but it will come at a cost. ​