Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Food Inflation

Tuesday 14 November 2023 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK food inflation has fallen from 19.6% to 12.3%, with forecasts predicting further decline.
  • The Competition and Markets Authority is reviewing evidence on competition and food price inflation.
  • The Government provided over 3,000 in payments per household during the pandemic to support households.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Patrick Grady SNP
Economy Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

UK food inflation has been rising significantly, driven by global factors.

Question

What recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of food inflation?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

UK food inflation has been driven largely by global factors and has already fallen from 19.6% to 12.3%, with external forecasts predicting it will continue to fall.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Alison Thewliss SNP
Economy Business & Trade
Context

Between March 2021 and April 2023, the cost of first infant formula increased by an average of 24%, with some cheapest brands rising by 45%.

Question

Why does he believe it is right for companies to profit while families struggle to feed their babies?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

The Competition and Markets Authority has not yet found evidence of weak competition driving high food price inflation, but they are continuing their review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific profit implications for companies were not addressed.

How: Looking At The Supply Chain

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q3 Deidre Brock SNP
Economy Children & Families
Context

Research shows a significant decline in UK children's height rankings since the austerity programme launched in 2010.

Question

What lessons has he learned from previous errors of judgment regarding austerity, and how will he support vulnerable groups?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

Reducing the deficit allowed the Government to provide over £3,000 in payments per household during the pandemic.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific lessons learned from past errors were not detailed.

How: £34 Billion Of Measures

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q4 Patrick Grady SNP
Economy Benefits & Welfare
Context

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation reports that food prices have increased twice as fast as benefits since September 2021.

Question

Will the Chancellor commit to raising benefits in line with inflation?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

We took the decision last year to uprate benefits by inflation and committed £94 billion of measures to help families through the cost of living crisis.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to September's inflation rate was not given.

How: £34 Billion Of Measures

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q5 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Economy Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The MP raises concerns about transferring food-producing land to other uses.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend consider fiscal measures to discourage the transfer of food-producing land?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

We need to keep priorities under review, balancing nature with food production.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific fiscal measures were not addressed.

How: Keep The Priorities Constantly Under Review

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q6 Drew Hendry SNP
Economy
Context

The consumer organisation Which? described practices by Tesco and Sainsbury's as 'dodgy'.

Question

Which supermarkets has the Chancellor held to account over rising food prices?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

We had supermarkets in over the summer to ensure they were doing everything possible to manage food price inflation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific supermarket accountability was not detailed.

How: Independent Competition And Markets Authority

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q7 Drew Hendry SNP
Economy Benefits & Welfare
Context

Other Governments have met grocery chains to stabilise food prices.

Question

Is it not the case that this Westminster Government is doing nothing for people facing high food bills?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

We have provided £94 billion of support to help families with food and energy prices.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)