Do we face a future of more expensive meals?

The era of ever-decreasing food prices has come to an end, according to leading figures in agriculture.

That was one of the messages to emerge from a conference at the University of Reading on Monday of academics, farmers, business people and agriculture students.

The student-run event, hosted jointly with the Department of Agriculture, Policy and Development, was the 46th consecutive annual conference of the University of Reading Agricultural Club.

Around 250 guests heard speakers including Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers’ Union, who said the public needed to have a radical rethink about its attitude towards farming ’ or society would face an even more challenging future.

Professor Richard Ellis, professor of agriculture and Dean of the University’s Faculty of Life Sciences, said after the event that prices could not continue their relative downward trend.

He said: ’It is clear that whilst food remains cheap in historical terms, the 50 or more year era of ever-cheaper food does appear at the least to have stalled.

’The recession may be confusing that picture as little, but it would be imprudent for society and governments to assume that the trend of the last 50-60 years will resume.’

Other speakers included Cedric Porter, of Supply Intelligence and director of the Oxford Farming Conference, Edward Garner of Kantar WorldPanel, and Heather Jenkins from Waitrose.

A panel debate was led by John Giles of agribusiness consultancy Promar International, and included Iain Lindsay, farm manager of Sir Richard Suttons Settled Estates, Tony Cooke of caterers Sodexo, and David Gregory, visiting professor at the University of Reading and an expert in food security.

Delegates at the conference, which was sponsored by Smiths Gore and Lloyds TSB Agriculture, included farmers, land agents, scientists and academics, including members of the Institute of Agricultural Management and the Newbury and District Agricultural Society.

Conference organiser and agriculture student Owen Piper thanked the speakers and sponsors for their help in making the event happen.

’Turbulent economies at home and elsewhere in the EU have raised doubts about the future of food production,’ he said. ’In real terms food still represents an extremely tiny fraction of the average household budget.

’Some members of the lively and heated panel still believe that the consumer is king. Personally, I think that while the era of cheap food may not quite be over yet, we may soon have to face up to the reality of rising prices.’