Food price rises unlikely before summer, says boss of Sainsbury’s

Simon Roberts says Easter shop will be unaffected by Middle East conflict, but industry warns prices may rise this year Shoppers will not see food prices rise until at least the summer and Easter will be unaffected by conflict in the Middle East, the boss of Sainsbury’s has said, despite fears of an inflation spike. Simon Roberts said it was “too early” to say whether and when food price inflation related to higher commodity costs would hit supermarket shelves and that the UK’s second-largest supermarket had long-term agreements with suppliers to help protect shoppers. “We have a lot of the tools to make sure we’ll do everything possible to contain the impact on inflation,” he said. “Obviously we are watching and monitoring events closely. “We’re not looking at immediate consequences or near-term consequences that we don’t think we’ve got a plan to navigate.” Farmers across the world are facing rising costs, as the closure of the strait of Hormuz affects about a third of the global seaborne trade in fertilisers. “Volatility and uncertainty for farmers has only become a bigger issue for them. They need certainty on making sure they can see what’s coming