Kingsmill owner warns of price rises due to ‘very small’ expected harvests in UK

ABF, which also owns Dorset Cereals, says it is not yet planning rises but it may need to import ‘quite a lot’ of grain

One of the UK’s biggest bread makers has warned of potentially higher prices as it expects “very small” grain harvests in the UK, making the company more reliant on imports.

George Weston, the head of Associated British Foods (ABF), which owns Kingsmill and Ryvita as well as Twinings tea, Dorset Cereals and the cut-price fashion retailer Primark, said the group had not increased its food prices in the past six months after a hefty period of inflation last year.