The UK food industry may shrink permanently if ministers fail to address labour shortages from Brexit and coronavirus that have already resulted in mass pig culling and crops being left to rot, MPs have warned. (The Financial Times £)
The cost of filling a family car with petrol was a third higher in March than it was a year ago, while a diesel car cost 40% more - and the chancellor’s 5p fuel duty cut has done little to help. (Sky News)
Trouble in store for grocers, writes William Kay in The Times on Morrisons’ Monday statement. “It is striking how candid managements can be when they do not have to dance to the stock market’s tune… For many years, supermarkets outperformed the economy as a whole by sucking in business that had gone to independent grocers and corner shops. But that trend has long been exhausted, exposing the sector to the full force of any downturn.” (The Times £)
Diners in England will see calories on menus when they eat out from today. Restaurants, cafes and takeaways with more than 250 staff must print how many calories are in meals on their menus, websites, and on delivery platforms. (The BBC)
Marks & Spencer has taken its first step into the growing resale market after announcing a partnership with kidswear peer-to-peer online platform Dotte. (The Daily Mail)
Separately, the race to take over Ted Baker intensified yesterday as Marks & Spencer and Next were tipped as potential buyers. (The Daily Mail)
The Guardian looks at why cooking oil has become so expensive. Besides being a cupboard staple, cooking oil is used throughout the food industry – from biscuits to ready meals to long-life cream – so cost rises and shortages have knock-on effects. (The Guardian)
Two Lidl adverts claiming shoppers could make big savings compared with Tesco have been banned after a complaint from the rival discounter Aldi. (The Guardian)
Starbucks prepares to steady the ship with ‘back to the future’ chief. “Presumably the new boss of Starbucks felt able to skip his induction. Howard Schultz is, after all, the old boss of Starbucks, back in charge not for the second time, but the third.” (The Times £)
Lockdown-induced shortages boost prospects of GMOs in China. Genetically-modified corn has been largely banned from Chinese markets, though it is sometimes used illegally. Officials only recently approved 10 genetically-modified crops, including corn and soyabeans, after new regulations were drafted late last year. Further approvals are likely. The trend should produce a windfall for first movers such as Beijing Dabeinong Technology in the genetically-modified corn market. (The Financial Times £)
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