Fish and chips shops issue huge warning for Brits.T

Britain’s beloved fish and chip shops are being hit by new pressures caused by the Iran war. There are warnings that chippies could have to put up prices or even look to cut portion sizes as they too begin to feel the effects of the war in the Middle East.

Shop owners are facing rising costs as fishermen are hit by skyrocketing fuel prices because of Iran’s continued chokehold of the Strait of Hormuz. This, in addition to the increasing cost of potato fertiliser and chip oil, means price rises are on the horizon for many fish and chip shops, reports say. One fisherman based in Peterhead, Scotland, said a tank of diesel to trawl for cod and haddock — the most popular fish at chippies — in the North Sea had doubled to about £10,000 since the outbreak of the war.

Peter Bruce told the AFP news agency extra fuel costs could go over more than £100,000 a year.

He said fishermen are concerned the public would “stop buying so much fish and chips and they’ll stop going out for meals so much”.

Lancashire fish and chip shop owner Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, told The Telegraph that businesses are considering buying cheaper fish from abroad or reducing portion sizes.

Mr Cook, who said he did not want to put up prices, told the newspaper: “We’re definitely under pressure. We’ve got extremely high fish prices, we’ve got energy prices; wages go up continually.”

There were around 10,500 fish and chip shops in the UK in 2024.

However, the industry has reported a long-term decline in consumption of the traditional meal, regarded by many as the UK’s national dish.

Seafish, a public body supporting the industry, said in its annual report that the cost of a fish and chips portion had risen more than 50% in the five years to July 2024.

Stricter fishing regulations and the Ukraine war has also already had an impact on the UK’s fish and chips shops, The Telegraph reports.