Four in five people are worried that the Iran war will make food more expensive, according to a new poll, as businesses warned the “window is closing” for ministers to cut energy costs for UK retailers. Research by Opinium found that 80% of people are concerned about rising grocery prices, while 73% expect the conflict to push up costs of other products.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has already sent oil and gas prices soaring, caused a crisis in the global fertiliser industry, and made shipping and distribution more expensive. The effects have been felt most acutely in manufacturing and chemicals, which use high amounts of gas. The UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced more support for energy-intensive businesses in April, but now faces fresh calls to cut costs for the food sector.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said the war is “driving up costs across the supply chain and families are right to be concerned”. She urged ministers to remove non-commodity energy costs for retailers, noting that other governments are already acting. “Germany has reduced electricity costs for businesses by moving levies off bills and EU leaders are actively discussing similar responses,” she said.
The Opinium survey of 2,000 people found that 81% were worried about rising energy bills, 76% about petrol and diesel, and 68% about tax increases. The Bank of England forecasts food inflation could rise to 7% by the end of the year due to higher fertiliser, energy and transport costs. Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose by 3.7% in the year to March 2026, up from 3.3% the previous month.
Supermarket bosses met Reeves in April to assess the conflict’s impact. Simon Roberts, boss of Sainsbury’s, said limiting energy prices for retailers was “the single biggest thing the government should do to keep prices down”. A government spokesperson said: “We are acting to protect people from any potential increases in food prices. We have already suspended select food tariffs and continue to work closely with the sector to keep households bills down.”
