A survey by Kantar shows that inflation on food has reached the highest it has on record, 17.1%. On an annual food bill of about £90 per week, that translates into an extra £16 per week.
Once again it is the poorest in society who are suffering the most. According to the Office for National Statistics, the poorest tenth in our society pay more than 20% of what money they have on food. Don’t forget that these same people are also the targets of the energy companies – guess who are the most likely to have pre-payment meters, at the highest tariffs?
Yet, strangely, the big food producers are making more money than ever. Kelloggs saw a double-digit rise in sales last year, Unilever are making bigger margins year on year.
No doubt the 18% fall in global food commodity prices over the past year has helped these big companies to grab ever more profit from families ‘ need for the most basic of necessities.
So, what can people do in these circumstances? Well, already people have started to vote with their feet.
Discount supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl have increased market share by 20%.
But it’s not only your feet that can vote.
Next time there’s an election – any election, local, Scottish or UK, vote for the Alba candidate. Vote for the party which will make Scotland’s riches work for the Scottish people.