Food and drink firms at the Local Flavours trade show at the Norfolk Showground have welcomed a government support package to limit their energy bills for six months - but longer-term concerns remain over soaring costs.
Dann's ice cream
One food producer who welcomed the government's help with energy bills was Simon Dann, whose family business makes ice cream at its dairy farm in North Tuddenham, near Dereham.
But he questioned whether businesses will now expect another "bail-out" in six months when the fixed-price period comes to an end.
"I think it is going to help a lot of businesses," he said.
"The government cannot keep bailing people out but I am glad they have done it now because it has made a big difference to me.
"For our ice cream business the bill will go back to £1,500 a month rather than the £4,000 a month we were budgeting for this month.
"Without this the outlook was pretty bleak. I was going to have to put another 10pc on our prices for the electricity, and we had already put 12pc on."
Wildcraft Brewery
Wildcraft Brewery recently moved closer to its barley supply by relocating to the Worstead Estate near North Walsham.
Director Mike Deal said that move had helped with energy bills - but without any government intervention, he believes his business would only have been financially viable for another 12 months.
He said. "Before the move, we worked out with just the most recent price rises that our brew kettle would have cost us an extra £1,000 per month to run, compared to the spring. That is just one piece of equipment.
"We are very lucky. The beauty of moving is that we are now mostly based on gas, which has helped us, but a major part of brewing is temperature-controlling the beers while they are in the tank, and we have a cold room to refrigerate them.
"That is costing us an awful lot of money, and we cannot increase our prices to a point that makes it worthwhile.
"We welcome anything that will help in any way. I think it is good to have at least a base, so we know what is going to happen for the next six months.
"It does get very worrying what's going to happen after that. We have big plans for lots of solar power usage, but that will take more than six months - however this does give us a little breathing room."
Candi's Chutney
Candi Robertson of Candi's Chutney, based at Salle, near Reepham, welcomed the government support after seeing her energy bills rise by 35pc in the last year.
But she said "much more detail" was needed on how it would affect tenant businesses, and she warned small firms need help with more than just their energy bills.
"My business is so energy-hungry that I make my son go to the toilet with a torch now, so he doesn't have to turn the light on," she said.
"But equally it is the bare bones of the business - cardboard, glass, sugar. You are putting an order in on Monday and by the time it is delivered on Thursday the price has gone up £500.
"This month sees our tenth year of trading, but if we can survive the next year we will have done very well. I have a benchmark in the bank and when the money gets to that it is goodbye.
"I have not done this for ten years to walk away in debt, that's for sure.
"My product is a premium product and I am very aware that people's pockets don't always stretch to premium and that is coming across in our sales."
Crush Foods
Stephen Newham is managing director of Crush Foods, also based at Salle. He said the support needed to extend beyond six months to allow businesses to make long-term plans.
"Six months is a very small snapshot when you are planning for the future," he said.
"We are fortunate that we signed into a four-year electricity contract last year, but we know that at some point the prices are going to rise and we have to plan for that.
"While turning the lights on in our factory is not going to be a problem for four years, the people who supply our boxes, our bottles, any of our ingredients have all had those price increases.
"So there are other ways we are affected, we are not immune."
WhataHoot distillery
Nicky Crown, of the WhataHoot distillery which makes gin and vodka in King’s Lynn, said the announcement came at a good time, ahead of the firm's busy pre-Christmas production period.
But with the summer peak coming after the end of the six months of fixed energy prices, she is concerned about what happens next.
"It is a start, and any kind of help for a small business is good, because everything is increasing, our raw materials are increasing, the cost of living is increasing, and this is a high-end product so it is scary times ahead.
"We have to look at our business in a different way, to not pass too much of that extra cost on to your consumer to try and absorb some of that yourself."
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