Dan Saladino

When the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran got underway in February, it was quickly followed by the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic fell by around 95%.

Ships such as this one, once one of 140 or so vessels passing through, could no longer transport goods around the world.

We've all been on a steep learning curve about the strategic importance of the strait when it comes to the global food system and the movement of fuel, food and fertiliser.

So much has just been sitting there, trapped, along with crews on board ships.

Last week, Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee took evidence about what we'd learned so far about the impact of the war on the food industry, supermarkets and their customers.

And unfortunately, it's possible from other conflicts to know what we can expect when it comes to food price inflation.

Among those giving evidence to the select committee was Karen Betts, CEO of the Food and Drink Federation.

In her evidence, Karen Betts made reference to previous shocks to the UK's food system, from Brexit and the pandemic and on to the war in Ukraine.

Food is now almost 40% more expensive than it was in 2021.

As we experience yet another crisis, businesses are exhausted and there's little room for manoeuvre, Betts told MPs.

Before we go into the details of why that is, let's cover some of the basics, including the nature of food price inflation itself.

Over to the BBC's business editor, Simon Jack.

One of the forecasts predicting the highest increases, that of food price inflation of 10% by the end of the year, comes from the Food and Drink Federation.

And their chief economist is Liliana Danila.

And there are other pressures driving prices upwards.

Simon Jack.

Which we'll be feeling well into next year, says Andrew Opie of the British Retail Consortium, the organisation representing the UK's biggest supermarkets.

Again, it's the experience of other recent crises that shows us what kind of time lag we're expecting to see.

Something that's amplified the impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz are changes that have taken place in the surrounding region during the last decade.

Adam Henier is a professor in development studies at SOAS and the author of Crude Capitalism, Oil, Corporate Power and the Making of the World Market.