Statement from our MD Oli Sampson on the recent Middle East crisis

Dear Valued Customer,

I am writing to you regarding the evolving situation in the Middle East and what it may mean for our supply chain over the coming months.

First and foremost, I want to reassure you that our Central Foods supply chain remains stable and continues to perform as usual. Our manufacturing partners in Europe and the Far East are operating as normal, and we are maintaining close and regular communication with them to ensure continuity of supply.

As you may already be aware, shipping routes have periodically been affected by regional tensions in the Middle East in recent weeks. In some cases, vessels are being directed to travel around Africa rather than through the Red Sea. While this does extend transit times, it has increasingly become a familiar, manageable adjustment for the global shipping industry, and we have adapted our logistics planning accordingly with our manufacturer partners.

The more significant impact we are now monitoring closely is the effect the conflict may have on global energy and fuel prices. Any sustained increases in these areas inevitably feed into manufacturing and transportation costs. Our manufacturing partners are already beginning to feel this pressure, and it is likely that they will need to implement price increases if energy markets continue to react to the situation.

At Central Foods, we always work to structured pricing windows and aim to provide stability and advance notice wherever possible. However, extraordinary global events such as war do create circumstances where exceptions may be unavoidable. Should pricing adjustments become necessary as a result of these external pressures, we will communicate transparently with as much notice as possible.

Our priority remains the same as always: maintaining a reliable supply chain, providing first class customer service in order to continue making life easier for our customers, even more so during challenging market conditions.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your account manager who will happily support.

Kind regards,

Oli Sampson

Managing Director

Uploaded: 12/03/2026