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The products that Unilever claim are being pushed up in price by Brexit which are made in the UK

You'll find PG Tips being made in Manchester and Pot Noodle's comes from Wales - how is Brexit pushing up the price of the nation’s favourite foods?

HALF-A-DOZEN of the products which Unilever claim must rise in price because of Brexit - including Marmite and Pot Noodle - are made in the UK, The Sun Online can exclusively reveal.

The global consumer goods company is in the middle of an almighty row with Tesco, after Britain’s biggest supermarket refused to swallow a 10 per cent price increase.

 Marmite jars on the production line at the Unilever factory at Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire
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Marmite jars on the production line at the Unilever factory at Burton upon Trent in StaffordshireCredit: Alamy

Unilever then stopped supplying stock to Tesco, leaving the supermarket short of many products.

However, Grocery insiders have warned that Unilever is using Brexit as an “excuse” to raise prices, as many of its products are made in the UK.

The Sun Online has tracked down six everyday Unilever products that are found in UK households which are made in this country.

A factory in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire produces 6,000 tons of Marmite each year - around 50 million jars - and is home to the controversial breakfast spread.

The factory, which also makes another iconic Unilever product, Bovril has helped the area earn the glowing title of ‘the brewing capital of Great Britain’.

 The locations round the UK where Unliver products are made
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The locations round the UK where Unliver products are made

Elsewhere, Unilever elves are hard at work in Crumlin, South Wales stirring up batches of Pot Noodle.

The student staple has been made in the area since 1979. In 2002, Unilever said that it was producing 175 million pots per year - that means an estimated five pots were being wolfed down every second.

In Manchester, PG Tips is made in the Brooke Bond factory in Trafford Park.

The best selling tea brand was sold to Unilever in 1983, but the location is still home to its tea factory.

 The iconic red-and-yellow logo outside the Marmite factory in Staffordshire
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The iconic red-and-yellow logo outside the Marmite factory in StaffordshireCredit: Alamy
 The Brooke Bond factory in Staffordshire
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The Brooke Bond factory in StaffordshireCredit: Google Maps

Another, cupboard staple, Colman’s Mustard has been based in Norfolk ever since Jeremiah Colman started his mustard and flour business in 1814 in Stoke Holy Cross.

The company was bought by Unilever in 1995 and continues to be produced on the original site.

Walls - the ice cream - is a subsidiary brand of Unilever, some of its products are made in a purpose built factory in Gloucester, the cathedral city of the Cotswolds.

So, how has Brexit pushed up supermarket prices?

In June, Unilever’s chief executive Paul Polman warned that a vote to leave the EU's single market would increase prices for consumers.

Today, its finance chief again warned that the price of popular products will rise as a result of the collapse in sterling.

Supermarkets have multi-million pound deals with suppliers such as Unilever and the details of which are a secret.


READ MORE

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The Unilever brands that you won't be able to buy from Tesco because of the price row

The hilarious memes poking fun at Tesco's row with Unilever

Jars of marmite on sale on eBay for £5k after Brexit bust-up

Shoppers panic buy Marmite, PG Tips and Pot Noodles as shoppers scramble to stock up 

How Unilever's fatcat boss took home nearly £10million last year


Although, Tesco’s big chief, Dave Lewis, a former Unilever executive, said last week that he was limbering up for a fight with suppliers who tried to use the falling pound to push through price increases.

He accused brands of failing to pass on the benefit when sterling was strong and was “uncomfortable” with efforts to raise prices on the way down.

Last month, the Bank of England warned that the effect of Brexit could have on food prices.

It said that supermarkets were having to come up with ways to hold prices at pre-referendum levels.

 The Pot Noodle factory in Crumlin, Wales
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The Pot Noodle factory in Crumlin, WalesCredit: Google Maps

However, the problem is much more complex. While many of the items which are made in the UK are sourced from all over the world - these “raw materials” are usually bought and sold using dollars, or even euros.

The value of the pound has fallen by 17 per cent against other currencies since the vote to leave the EU in June.

This has pushed up the cost of raw materials. These costs, as long with packing and distribution, could be pushing up the price for UK shoppers.

The Sun Online contacted Unilever for a comment.

The brands Unilever are no longer delivering to Tesco

Pot Noodle
PG Tips
Organics
Colman’s
Bovril
Viennetta
VO5
Vaseline
Surf
TIGI
Sunlight
Simple
Solero
St Ives
Stork
Persil
Marmite
Impulse
Jiff
Knorr
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
Cornetto
Carte D’Or
Ben & Jerry’s
Sure
Lipton
Lux
Magnum
Dove
Wall’s Ice-cream
Hellmann’s
Domestos
Lynx
Bertolli
Flora
Brut
Maille
Radox
Pond’s
Timotei
Elemlea
Lyons Tea



Have you spotted a shortage of Marmite? Or is stock running low in your local Tesco? Email: [email protected]


 

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