The brewing industry is set to be largely unaffected by the rising costs of barley, it has been claimed.
The price of barley has more than doubled in the past two months, reaching €210 (£175) a tonne.
However, major breweries are not panicking despite the huge hike as they have locked in the price they pay for the crop with a process known as hedging.
Many large corporations introduced the strategy after the food crisis of 2007-8, where prices rose rapidly and firms were forced to pay huge sums to maintain production.
Anheuser-Busch Inbev, the world's number one brewer, has claimed that many firms now use hedging and expects the brewing sector to be largely unaffected by the rises.
His comments were echoed by Jorn Jensen, chief financial officer of Carlsberg, who claimed the company did not expect "any material impact" from rising prices.
The Danish brewer has already secured supplies for a fixed price until the end of 2011.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the brewing industry includes; elevators – bucket elevators – valves
