Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a list of staple food items subject to temporary price control measures.

Defra officials have regular discussions with retailers about a range of issues, including the impacts that inflationary pressures have on consumers. However, it is not for the UK Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by the companies but through our regular engagement we continue to explore the measures retailers can take to ensure the availability of affordable food.