
The Food Programme
The Cost of Food
25 September 2026
42 minutes
Available for over a year
Sheila Dillon is joined by a panel at Abergavenny Food Festival to ask - why is food costing so much more than it used to, and what would it take to build a food system that works better for everyone?
Food prices in the UK have risen dramatically in recent years, while healthier food remains out of reach for many families. At the same time, farmers, growers and food businesses say they are struggling with rising costs, squeezed margins and growing uncertainty.
So who is benefiting from the current system? Who is under pressure? Are we paying too much for food, or in some cases not enough? And what would a fairer, more sustainable food economy actually look like?
Joining Sheila Dillon are Food Programme presenter and award-winning journalist Dan Saladino; Vicki Hird, one of the UK's leading food policy experts and Strategic Lead on Agriculture at The Wildlife Trusts; and Welsh food writer, broadcaster and food strategist Simon Wright, who is currently developing a National Food Strategy for Wales.
Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.
