Food and drink producers question price rises as cost of living goes up

• Watch Ben McGrail's report from Wellington.

Independent food and drink producers in the West Country have said they are determined to do all they can to protect their businesses and keep prices down for customers.

Traders at the eat:Wellington event on Saturday (3 September) told ITV News they are facing rising bills, which will squeeze profit margins going into the winter. But many said they remain confident people will support them going forward.

The event is one of nearly 30 being run in 2022 by eat:Festivals, a business set up by Burnham-on-Sea-based couple Bev and Sarah Milner Simonds.

They said they believe it is possible for small producers to continue to make a living through the current financial challenges. They also believe many traditional traders in cafes and restaurants have said they are considering switching to run stands at events, instead of having permanent premises.

Sarah said: "Several of them have been thinking they could do pop up events instead. They could cut down those overheads and do pop ups do markets and do festivals to really rethink what they do and carry on being creative and making great food."

Bev said: "If you're a brand new producer, if you've got someone who's got a really bright idea and you're thinking, 'actually, I'm going to get out and try my business ideas,' markets like ours, festivals, are a great way to get that support."

The big question on producers' minds right now is whether they should increase prices for customers.

Robert Hawker, from Hemyock, sells venison and wild boar meet at events and says he doesn't plan to charge people more. He said: "We've all got increases in prices - there's fuel costs, everything's gone up.

"I appreciate that but, for me, tomorrow I'll get up and I'll go to work. Nothing will change for me. If I've got less money, I'll just have to work harder."

Holly and Andy Heggadon run The Exmoor Feasting Company. Andy said: "We're having to absorb as much of the costs we can.

"We have had to put our prices up but we've done what we can to balance things out.

Holly said: "So far, our customers seem to understand that we've had to do it and have been great. One of our biggest things is the cost of running our ovens and what that's going to be going forward."

Anne Buller runs Quantock Steamers, which makes traditional puddings. She said: "We're finding the cost of cardboard is just going up and up. So our boxes and our cardboard wraps that we have round the pudding - we've seen an increase from 4p to 11p. So, that's per pudding as well as the flour, every week flour is going up, eggs.

"It's just everything is going up."