Shoppers have been reassured that they should not see the prices on the peelable labels of food products increase significantly as a result of the water shortages.

It was announced today (June 10th 2011) that Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire are now officially in drought, with fears that other parts of the country may soon follow as a result of the driest spring on record.

This led some to speculate that peelable labels could reflect this with inflated prices on items like bread.

However, the British Retail Consortium's Andrew Opie insisted this should not have too much bearing on the prices displayed in supermarkets and other outlets.

"Retailers are again working with suppliers to make sure there continues to be affordable food in the shops ... Many large producers have already invested in private irrigation systems to deal with low rainfall," he commented.

Mr Opie added that the lack of water is actually having a positive effect on crops such as asparagus and raspberries.

Denny Bros Ltd, 13 June 2011