Grocery costs seen rising further in 2023 executives, analysts
Input costs exacerbated by Ukraine war
Retailers seeking to pass on high raw material costs
Unilever, Nestle, Danone to report results this month
Cost inflation likely to be a feature analysts

LONDON, Feb 8 Reuters Shoppers around the world will pay even more for groceries this year than they did in 2022, according to retailers, consumer goods firms and investors, unless commodity costs decline or the shift to cheaper storebrand products accelerates.

Retailers and consumer goods producers have been stuck in tough price negotiations for more than a year now, with friction beginning in 2021 over COVIDrelated supply chain logjams.

This has since ballooned into fights over the high cost of raw materials and energy in the wake of Russia39;s invasion of Ukraine, with rising prices of basic foodstuffs from bread to milk and meat exacerbating a costofliving crisis in Europe.

Britons paid a record 16.7 more for food in the four weeks to Jan. 22 compared to the same period last year, according to research firm Kantar. The U.S. food index, including meals eaten at home and in cafes and restaurants, increased 10.4 for the year ended in December.

Mark Schneider, CEO of the world39;s biggest food group Nestle, last week told a German newspaper it would have to raise prices of its food products further this year to offset higher production costs that it has yet to fully pass on to consumers.

Investors will pay a…