Food suppliers and farmers are being increasingly squeezed by a bitter supermarket price war, according to a report.
The number of suppliers in significant financial distress has risen 54% since last year, according to insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor.
Small firms are bearing the brunt of supermarkets' efforts to try to regain customers from discounters.
Supermarkets have also continued to make late payments, the firm said.
'Savage landscape'
In the second quarter this year, 1,622 food suppliers were struggling to make ends meet, up from 1,052 at the same period last year.
Of those, 89% were small suppliers, said Begbies Traynor retail expert Julie Palmer.