Food price rises unlikely before summer, says boss of Sainsbury’s

Simon Roberts says Easter shop will be unaffected by Middle East conflict, but industry warns prices may rise this year

Shoppers will not see food prices rise until at least the summer and Easter will be unaffected by conflict in the Middle East, the boss of Sainsbury’s has said, despite fears of an inflation spike.

Simon Roberts said it was “too early” to say whether and when food price inflation related to higher commodity costs would hit supermarket shelves and that the UK’s second-largest supermarket had long-term agreements with suppliers to help protect shoppers.