The Grocer – 24 August 2019

analysis retail & wholesale prices

Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk 24 August 2019 | The Grocer | 15

PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

PRICES £/tonne m-o-m % y-o-y %

Fish & seafood

Coldwater prawns (Norway) 2,740 1.0 117.

Horse mackerel (Spain) 3,236 11.8 33.

Plaice (UK) 2,143 29.0 21.

Salmon (farmed, Norway) 5,273 –9.5 3.

Whiting (UK) 1,186 –25.4 3.

Cod (Norway) 1,652 1.0 2.

Sardines (Spain) 3,525 1.7 0.

Skipjack tuna (Thailand) 982 24.9 –0.

Haddock (Norway) 981 1.0 –7.

Yellowfin tuna (Seychelles) 1,653 3.0 –19.

Source: Mintec

Info: All prices are indicative only and are representative within the country quoted

Norwegian coldwater prawn
prices have risen signifi cantly
year on year, driven by strong
global demand and limited
supply from major exporters
such as Canada, where a cut in
quota made an impact.
Haddock prices, meanwhile,
have fallen 7.5% year on year,
with prices declining to pre-
2019 levels thanks to a reduced
quota of 25% in the Barents
Sea, which caused demand to
shift to other white fi sh.
Norwegian salmon prices
have fallen month on month,

driven down by farmers

returning to normal harvesting

levels aft er Norway’s holiday

period. Prices were higher in

July thanks to lower biomass

numbers and weights than

last year. Prices are now going

down to compensate the surge.

Thai skipjack tuna prices are

recovering rapidly from a drop

in July, boosted by the ban on

fi sh aggregation devices in the

Western and Central Pacifi c,

which came into place in July

and normally last for three

months.

wholesale prices: strong demand hikes price of prawns

Shortages and sterling woes

drive price rises for cheese

T

he mults are hiking
prices on Continental
cheese amid shortages
and another slump in sterling.
Average supermarket prices
for halloumi have risen 3% year
on year, while brie (+4%), moz-
zarella (+4%), ricotta (+8%),
edam (+2%), parmesan (+5%),
camembert (+1%) are also much
pricier [Edge by Ascential 52 w/e
22 August 2019].
Most of the price increases
have been on own label
Continental cheeses. A 250g
pack of own label halloumi is
up by 24p to £2.40, for example,
while a 250g bag of own label
grated mozzarella is up by 5p
to £1.92 on average, and a 100g
own label French goats cheese
is up by 10p to £1.98.
A 250g own label ricotta is up
by 3p to £1.17, while a 175g cam-
bozola is up by 2p to £2.15 on
average.
There has also been a drop
in supermarket deals in the
category, with the volume of
Continental cheese sold on
promotion down 3.9% to less
than a quarter of sales (22.4%)

Austria and the Netherlands

has dampened overall growth,”

AHDB says.

The impacts of the sum-

mer drought are still being felt ,

AHDB adds, with France among

the worst aff ected. Its Q1 deliv-

eries fell by 2% (135 million

litres).

“It’s not a widespread EU

milk shortage. It’s in certain

regions where there’s obviously

quite a few makers or liquid

milk producers and there’s been

some competitiveness across

the board,” says Chisnall.

Average EU farmgate milk

prices were up 5.2% year on

year in June at 30.72p per litre,

AHDB data shows.

Sterling fell to a 22-month low

in recent weeks, which has also

added costs. And prices could

go higher in the event of a no-

deal Brexit, warns Chisnall.

“Blue cheese coming in from

the Continent will have a tar-

iff apportioned to it”, he says.

“We’re looking at a tariff of

about £200/tonne – it’s what

was announced pre the previ-

ous Brexit date so I’m assuming

that’s going to be in situ for 31

October as well”.

[Kantar 52 w/e 19 May 2019].

There have been shortages of

some Continental cheeses over

the past 12 months, which is

pushing up prices, says Chris

Chisnall, marketing director at

importer Bradburys Cheese.

“So PDO cheeses such as

comte, products like halloumi

• there’s been shortages on
  as well. Therefore in order to
  secure volume , prices have gone
  up,” he says.
  “There have also been milk
  shortages in France in certain

regions across particularly

camembert and the mountain

cheeses – so we have seen some

increases in price that we’ve

had to pass on to retailers.”

Milk production remains

“muted” across the EU28,

according to AHDB, with vol-

umes up just 0.3% (103 million

litres) year on year in the fi rst

quarter of the year.

“Although Ireland, Poland

and Denmark have seen growth

in supplies compared to last

year, large declines in France,

Prices for halloumi, brie, ricotta, edam, parmesan and mozzarella are up

Carina Perkins

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