British potatoes, Californian vegetables, South African maize and Indian onions are among many foods affected by recent price shocks driven by climate extremes, according to a team of international scientists.

The study, led by Maximillian Kotz of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, investigated examples across 18 countries over a two-year period (2022-2024) where price spikes were associated with heat, drought and heavy precipitation that was so extreme it exceeded all historical precedent prior to 2020.

In the UK, potato prices increased 22 per cent (from Jan to Feb 2024) following extreme winter rainfall that scientists said was made 20 per cent heavier and 10 times more likely by climate change.

Kotz said: “Until we get to net-zero emissions extreme weather will only get worse, but it's already damaging crops and pushing up the price of food all over the world. People are noticing, with rising food prices number two on the list of climate impacts they see in their lives, second only to extreme heat itself.”

When it comes to the UK, potatoes aren’t the only British-grown commodity affected by climate change. Cereals, onions, cauliflowers and broccoli have also been hit over the past few years, all while ‘back-up’ imports from other countries have been failing due to climate impacts abroad, the report adds.

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