Now Walkers blame Brexit as they hike crisps price by 10% - even though they are made in BRITAIN from British potatoes

  • Walkers announced it is set to increase the price of crisps by 10 per cent  
  • US-owned company blamed Brexit despite using potatoes grown in Britain
  • MP said food prices would rise due to the fall in the value of the Pound
  • Comes after 'Marmitegate' row which saw stocks run low in Tesco stores

The nation was sent into a panic when stocks of Marmite ran low because of Brexit - and now crisp lovers are being warned their favourite snack faces a price hike. 

Leicester-based Walkers is increasing the price of crisps by 10 per cent - blaming the rise on the result of the EU referendum.

American beverage giant PepsiCo, which owns Walkers, said it had been forced to increase prices by 5p because of 'fluctuating exchange rates' - despite the potatoes being grown in Britain.

Leicester-based Walkers is increasing the price of crisps by 10 per cent - blaming the rise on the result of the EU referendum

Naeem Khaliq, from United Wholesale Scotland, described it as a 'dire' situation for both retailers and wholesalers.

BIRDS EYE FISH FINGERS SET TO RISE 

Birds Eye has also threatened to raise the cost of fish fingers, chicken nuggets and frozen peas by as much as 12 per cent, with the brand blaming the crash in the pound.

On some product lines, the firm is considering shrinking pack sizes instead, cutting the number of fish fingers, for example, from 12 to ten.

Supermarket bosses are believed to have accused the company – partly owned by billionaire hedge fund tycoon Noam Gottesman – of ‘profiteering’ from Brexit.

He told Retail Newsagent: 'I think PepsiCo is boosting its profit. Walkers is a British product and I expect it is made with British potatoes.'

PepsiCo said the rising price of oil, seasonings and packaging were to blame for the rise.  

A standard 32g bag is set to rise from 50p to 55p while a larger grab bag will cost 80p rather than 75p.

A family pack will continue to be sold for £1 – but will go from 100g to 90g.

PepsiCo also owns orange juice brand Tropicana, Quaker Oats, smoothie company Naked, Doritos crisps and Nobby's Nuts.  

This follows 'Marmitegate' in October. 

PepsiCo said the rising price of oil, seasonings and packaging were to blame for the rise of Walkers crisps - which are fronted by Gary Lineker

Marmite became perhaps the most visible sign of Britain's decision to leave the European Union after consumer goods giant Unilever sought to raise wholesale prices for its products by 10 percent to make up for a plunge in the pound.

Tesco became embroiled in a bitter standoff with Unilever after the manufacturing giant tried to impose a 10 per cent price hike on all its products -which also include brands like Persil.

The dispute was eventually resolved - but Tesco's chairman John Allan warned this week that food inflation could hit 3 per cent.  

#Marmitegate was soon trending on social media.

The Walkers Crisps Tear 'n' Share advert - featuring Alan Hansen, Gary Lineker and Jamie Redknapp

THE BREXIT PRICE HIKES 

The plunge in the value of the pound meant the cost of buying wine from the big wine-producing regions – including the Americas, Australia and South Africa – shot up by 15 to 20 per cent.

Tech giant Apple also blamed the fall in the value of the pound since the referendum for hiking the price of its computers by up to £500.

The 13-inch MacBook Air – the least expensive laptop Apple sells and first introduced in 2015 – rose from £849 to £949.

The UK boss of Typhoo Tea warned the price of tea would also rise.

The company’s chief executive said the cost of importing an 80 kilo bag of tea had soared by 50 per cent – from £100 up to £150 since the beginning of the year – with much of the increase being blamed on the recent fall in the value of sterling.

A Walkers spokesman said: 'Whilst our potatoes are British, we import a number of different ingredients and materials to produce a finished packet of Walkers crisps.

'In light of this we are taking steps to cover some of these additional costs through selective cost price changes. It will be for individual retailers to determine the impact on the price at which they sell our products.' 

James Russell, wholesale managing director at Blakemore, told Retail Newsagent it was a 'massively opportunistic' move by PepsiCo: 'It impacts the offer we can make for our customers. We have to pass the cost on to them. 

'We've been told if we don't accept the terms it won't supply us. The value message is becoming distorted.'

Just weeks ago, International trade minister Mark Garnier said food prices would rise due to the fall in the value of the Pound after the Brexit vote.

He added increasing costs were a 'well predicted effect' and there was 'nothing' the government could do about it.  

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