Dr Neil Hudson MP this week quizzed major UK food producers including Unilever, Arla and Kraft Heinz on their role in supporting people against food price inflation.
While the Prime Minister has worked tirelessly to more than half inflation, as attested to by recent Office of Budget Responsibility figures, factors like the war in Ukraine, the pandemic and disruption to shipping lanes in the Red Sea have shone a light on how vulnerable customers are to international volatility.
As such, Dr Hudson sat on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee as the cross-party group scrutinised the relationship between producers, manufacturers, retailers - and crucially consumers who have faced high prices at the checkout over recent years.
Representing a vast rural constituency where access to supermarkets can be limited, Dr Hudson was keen to impress upon the panel how important it is to make sure there is more fairness for consumers only able to access smaller retailers. This is just as applicable in urban areas for healthcare workers with busy and antisocial shifts as it is for farmers unable to spend a long time away from their work.
On top of this he sought to challenge producers' assertions that they have little influence over prices for consumers. Referencing a price row between Heinz and Tesco, Dr Hudson highlighted how by "playing hardball" these manufacturers can be a determining factor in prices for working people.
The Committee particularly drilled down into manufacturer's role in "shrinkflation", for instance Heinz reducing the percentage of beans in a tin or companies reducing the size of their primary products without significantly altering the price. Dr Hudson reaffirmed that manufacturers must not attempt to sneak reductions past consumers without their awareness.
Speaking afterwards, Dr Neil Hudson MP said:
"I do think there is a path to tread that gives a fair deal for consumers at the checkout, farmers and growers in their incomes and suppliers in the middle. But to make this a reality we need cooperation and communication.
"While the Conservative Government's economic recovery plan is working and inflation is falling dramatically, manufacturers absolutely have a duty to pass on savings to consumers at the checkout and profits to farmers.
"Put simply, food is not a luxury and must not be treated as such.
"I thank our panellists for appearing before us and do hope they have taken onboard our concerns."
