On a visit to North Edinburgh charity, Fresh Start, on Tuesday morning, SNP leader, John Swinney, insisted that controlling the prices in supermarkets remains a central part of the SNP’s strategy to deal with the cost of living crisis.
Helping to pack a shopping bag of items at the Food Pantry in Drylaw, Mr Swinney said that he is aware the cost of living is the matter which is affecting most people.
The policy to cap prices of tens of essential items was announced last week when Mr Swinney called upon supermarkets to take immediate voluntary action to support people – even before any legislation is put in place. The policy has been criticised as “more unnecessary red tape” by groups representing retailers.
But Mr Swinney insisted that any new SNP government will act to legislate on capping prices to help people most affected by price increases in shops.
He said: “The issues in relation to food poverty are central to my election commitments, because what I want to make sure is that people can have access to a nutritious shop when they are going to the supermarket.
“So I want to bring in legislation to apply a price cap on 20 to 50 items that would enable a nutritious shop to be undertaken, and that would help to alleviate the pressures on family budgets that people are experiencing.”
Pressed further on how he can implement the policy, Mr Swinney said that he would employ public health powers. He said: “Where people are unable to get nutritious food that then creates public health issues that the government has got to address. I want to avoid those risks crystallising for the government, and that would be done by legislating to require there to be 20 to 50 items of food range available in supermarkets at affordable prices, so people could get that nutritious shop, and it’s all part of the measures to help with the cost of living. But of course, the opposition want to stand in the way of that. They want to stop us doing that, which is why I would encourage people to vote for the SNP, so we can have the parliamentary support to make sure we can turn that proposal into reality.”
Euan Hyslop, who is the SNP candidate in Edinburgh Northern, agreed that the cost of living is the most important matter for voters. He said: “I’ve just been speaking to managers at Fresh Start about the increasing need for their help over the last number of years, largely because we are at the tail end of 15 years of austerity. There is also a government in Westminster which isn’t doing much to alleviate the causes of poverty in our communities.
“The reasons that people are accessing places like the Food Pantry here – and there are many elsewhere in the city – are because the cost of food is absolutely extortionate. Food prices are only going to increase over the next year. I am a business owner in hospitality and we are very aware that food prices – wholesale food prices – are increasing as we speak. This inflation is caused by the Strait of Hormuz being closed and the consequential increases in the cost of oil and fertiliser. There will be a ten per cent food price inflation by the end of the year. That is very concerning for businesses, families and consumers who want to be able to access a healthy diet. So we are going to introduce a cap on food prices
David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “This misbegotten proposal for a legislative price cap is based on a faulty diagnosis of the symptoms behind food price inflation. The root cause behind rises in food prices over recent years is because the cost of producing food has risen. This has been driven by international supply chain shocks which have pushed up fertiliser, fuel, and energy bills as well as by relentless rises in government-imposed statutory costs on retailers and their suppliers.
“Despite this, we have the most affordable grocery prices in western Europe thanks to robust competition between food retailers. Our politicians’ ought to be pulling out all the stops to reduce the statutory costs that retailers, food manufacturers, and farmers face, not adding yet further red tape in the form of mandatory price controls.”
Luke McGarty, Head of Policy at the Scottish Grocers’ Federation, said:“While the policy may be aimed at larger retailers, price caps on selected products will inevitably have knock-on effects for similar items sold in local stores.
“Capped prices in supermarkets could encourage customers to travel further to out-of-town locations for staple goods typically purchased locally, reducing sustainability and creating a competitive disadvantage for small local businesses.
“Local stores play a vital role in their communities, providing accessible, lifeline goods and services, supporting local employment, and enabling a local multiplier effect. All within walking distance of people’s homes.
“At a time when local retailers are already under considerable pressure from additional costs added by government regulation and global issues, some may feel compelled to try and match supermarket prices, which could threaten both their viability and the benefits they provide.”
Fresh Start on Ferry Road Drive is a charity which helps people who have been homeless to set up a new home with essential items such as bedding and pots and pans. The services have grown and around 14,000 packs are now distributed each year. The Pantry is an essential part of what the charity does providing food with dignity to people in Pilton, Muirhouse, Drylaw and Granton. People pay a small membership fee of £5 to enable them to leave with around £20 of goods once each week.
https://www.freshstartweb.org.uk/what-we-do/pantry
