Burger prices soar this summer, but farmers aren't profiting

The summer barbecue season is facing a significant price hike, a phenomenon dubbed "burgerflation." Soaring costs for beef, bread buns, and bagged salad mean that the quintessential summer meal is becoming unaffordably expensive for many.

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How do we shore the business up into a place that's right for them to come into without saddling them with a lot of debt?

However, the increased prices for consumers are not translating into higher profits for the farmers and food producers at the beginning of the supply chain. Heather Oldfield, a cattle farmer in Lincolnshire, states that while shoppers are paying more for beef, farmers like her are receiving less for their produce. "There's a lot of uncertainty," she says, highlighting the pressure to cover costs and ensure the farm's survival for her daughters, who aspire to continue the family business.

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There's a lot of uncertainty.

Phil Clayton, a baker in North Yorkshire, echoes this sentiment. Although customers are paying more for bread rolls, he explains that the price increase for consumers is modest and does not reflect a rise in profit for his bakery. "It is absolutely not true" that the bakery benefits from price rises, he insists. Farmers are receiving less for wheat, the primary ingredient, while bakers face their own cost pressures.

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backing our hard-working farmers, investing a record £11.8bn – more than any previous government

Despite government assurances of "backing our hard-working farmers" with significant investment, individuals like Oldfield feel the strain. She works a second job to supplement the farm's income, as it does not generate enough to support her family. The squeeze on farmers and producers suggests that the "burgerflation" is not benefiting those who produce the food, but rather creating financial precarity in the agricultural sector.

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I know I'm not going to be a millionaire running a bakery.