TD calls for price freeze on basic products in supermarkets

Waterford Independent TD John Halligan has called on the government to consider a price freeze on basic grocery items

John Halligan wants the government to meet with supermarket chains and examine a two-year price freeze on 19 basic items

Print

Print

News

Waterford Independent TD John Halligan has called on the government to consider a price freeze on basic grocery items

Independent TD John Halligan has urged the government to start negotiations with the country’s main grocery chains to encourage a price freeze on basic food items for two years. He said the cost of essential items had risen by up to 30% in the last few years and almost all household products now cost more than they did during the boom. "The profits they are extracting from the country are colossal," Halligan told the Dáil on Thursday. "Isn’t it time they gave something back?"

The Waterford politician asked Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore if tactics similar to those used to implement an alcohol price freeze in the 1990s, could be used to ask the major retail chains to freeze prices on 19 basic items such as bread, milk, butter and baby food.

"I’ve no doubt in my mind that we’re in the midst of a nutritional recession," Halligan insisted, pointing out that those who were suffering food deprivation were among those feeling the cuts while supermarket chains "increase profits year after year after year".

Gilmore said the government’s commitment was to legislate for increased power to deal with anti-competitive behaviour and that this would have the effect of stopping informal price-matching in the retail sector so that chains became more competitive. "The message should be very clear to them, [and] to their pricing policy," Gilmore said. "I would expect that they would act accordingly."

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said the CSO figures for inflation – which said the cost of living was now 1.6% higher than last year – incorporated over 50,000 prices, and said the government preferred to tackle profiteering or price matching by recruiting new staff for the Competition Authority. 

Related Articles

Visitors meet Dunnes Stores celebrity brand partners at Ideal Homes Show →

Irish Whiskey brands eye Chinese market growth in EU trade mission →

Maxol launches ‘Homegrown at Maxol’ 2024 programme  →

Guinness 0.0 surges 48% in response to growing demand →