A FISH and chips supper is a classic British staple when it comes to popular takeaway options across the UK.
However, new figures have revealed a chippy dinner has witnessed the biggest price increase in comparison to other popular takeaways.
The average price for a portion of fish and chips is nearly £10, rising more than 50% over the last five-years, while the cost of a kebab rose by 44% and pizza by 30%.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has confirmed the average price of takeaway fish and chips was £9.88 in July this year. That was up by 52% compared with £6.48 in July 2019.
Prices paid to UK farmers for potatoes have shot up over the last two years, according to the latest figures from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs' Agricultural Price Index (API).
A 35% tariff on Russian seafood imported was also imposed in March 2022 when food prices across the UK were rising at the fastest rate in more than a decade.
Harvey Jones, a potato supplier from Cefn-y-Bedd Peter Gwyn & Sons said: "Potatoes have pretty much tripled in price and everything else they have to buy in has also gone up so this means they have had to put their prices up to stay in business.
"The effect we have seen from this is people are not visiting fish and chip shops as regularly as they used to. It’s now seen as more of a treat rather than a cheap meal so people are just maybe having it once a week or once a month now rather than calling in a couple of times a week for a cheap and easy tea.
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"However, when you compare it to a Chinese or Indian takeaway I still think it’s a lot better value for money especially if you compare it to the likes of McDonald’s. At least if you go and buy fish and chips for £10 you get a good filling meal.
"Another thing people forget about is that chip shops have to pay 20% VAT on their sales when you include all the price rises they’ve had in everything they have to buy in then on top of that increases in electricity, gas and wages.
"It’s leaving a lot of chip shops struggling so I’d like to encourage people to support their local independently run chip shops otherwise in 10 years time a lot of them could be gone."
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