Consumers could Help to cope with rising temperaturesFood prices by choosing supermarketThe Environment Secretary suggests value brands.
Sky News reporter George Eustice stated that feed and fertiliser are on the rise. Costs were highThe FarmingIndustry, partly due to soaring energy costs.
He said, “The better news is that we have an extremely competitive retail market with 10 large supermarkets and the main four competing very aggressively for the lower-cost, daily value items for households. So things such as spaghetti and ambient products, there is a lot of competition in order to keep the prices down.”
It is more difficult for fresh produce and chicken, as the higher feed costs can be passed through the system. These people work with thin margins and must pass that cost through.
He stated that people generally prefer to go for value brands over the more expensive ones. Products with your own brandThey can manage and control their household budget.
It will put pressure on household budgets.
His comments were called “woefully out-of-touch”
These comments were criticized by Labours shadow Treasury chief secretary, Pat McFadden. She described the comments to be woefully outof touch from a government that had no solution to the problem. Cost-of-living crisis facing working people.
McFadden said that people are seeing their wages drop, fuel and food prices rise, and families are concerned about how they will make ends meet.
It is time for the government to provide real assistance to people, not just make ignorant comments about the real struggles people face to pay their bills.
Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesperson), also criticised the comments. She said: These comments demonstrate George Eustice’s and the Conservatives live in a parallel universe.
Families and pensioners that can’t afford their weekly shopping need more help, not patronising advice by a clueless minister.
This is Boris Johnson’s Britain. Oil and gas companies are making billions while families are told they should buy high-quality food and pensioners travel on buses to stay warm.
Eustices’ comments however follow the advice of many to drop the price at the supermarket in order to save money.
Supermarkets break down their products into different categories. These range from the most expensive premium level to the progressively less expensive branded products, as well as own brand and value line products.
MoneySavingExpert’s (MSE) website suggests that those who are struggling to pay food costs try the Downshift Challenge. The Downshift Challenge involves switching one of your products to something just one level lower.
This is despite the fact that shop prices have increased 2.7% compared to last year. This marks their highest inflation rate since September 2011.
Food inflation rose to 3.5% in April, from 3.3% March. However fresh food inflation decreased slightly to 3.5% last months to 3.4% due to fierce competition among supermarkets who resisted price hikes for everyday essentials, according the BRC-NielsenIQ Shop Price Index.
