Why US wildfires mean hot cross buns are more expensive
A global shortage of raisins, sultanas and currants is set to send the price of hot cross buns soaring this Easter.
The problem is so acute that some bakers may even have to swap the dried fruit for alternatives such as chocolate chips and orange peel.
Wildfires destroyed thousands of acres of vineyards in California in October and November 2017, which triggered a rise in the wholesale price of the fruit.
There has also been a price hike on sultanas from Turkey which is a key supplier to the UK. The price of currants from Greece has also risen after a one-third reduction in this year's yield.
Mintec senior market analyst Jara Zicha said some producers plan to switch from currants to other types of dried grapes and told trade magazine The Grocer: "As a result of these shortages, prices have risen for sultanas from Turkey, one of the largest suppliers to the UK
"Prices for Turkish sultanas have risen by 30% since September 2017, although they are still trading at a significant discount to Californian raisins, meaning prices may rise further.
"The global sultana situation has been exacerbated by a short crop in nearby Iran.
"At the same time, currant prices in Greece are soaring. Production in Greece has come short for two consecutive years, with the 2017-18 crop amounting to just 17,500 tons, about two thirds of an average crop."
It is believed hot cross buns originate from St Albans in Hertfordshire, where Brother Thomas Rocliffe - a 14th Century monk at St Albans Abbey - developed a recipe called an "Alban Bun" and distributed them to the local poor on Good Friday in 1361.
