Instead of price caps, the Government should take inspiration from Zohran Mamdani

Utopian pipe dream? Or could we reimagine the food system we currently have?

At the very least, we need some alternative thinking about how people in the UK could access food in their immediate vicinity that is fairly priced and fairly produced, not just a commodity designed to reward corporate shareholders with huge profits.

As today’s inflation figures show it remains above the recommended 2%, there’s been talk, inspired by the SNP’s proposal to “price cap” certain basic items sold in supermarkets, of the UK government stepping into this space to enforce lower prices. This is fraught with difficulties, not least of which is the interference with commercial businesses and retailers, who have been quick to howl their objections to this idea.

As supermarkets like Tesco make profits of £3.6 billion, they can hardly say they can’t afford it. But my main worry for this sort of action is: where does the cost-squeezing then go? It won’t dent supermarkets’ profits, but will be passed on to the supply chain. The farmers and food producers, the shelf stackers and the drivers will be expected to reduce their costs to safeguard the supermarket profits.

Food becomes the movable feast in the household budget as the cost-of-living crisis gets worse. Households are forced into a downward spiral towards consuming the cheapest, often less nutritious food. We have cases of stunted growth and rickets reappearing here in the Northwest, caused by a lack of vitamins and minerals in childhood diets.

I run a social enterprise, the Queen of Greens – a greengrocer on wheels – which visits 22 spaces across Liverpool each week, enabling people to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables at just above cost price. We cover our Living Wage employee salaries & pensions, fuel costs, and (frequent) bus repairs with the very modest profit we make. Over 500 households benefit each week, but we can run our little business in line with our principles with support from investment grants.

Investment in alternative food access is key. The Mayor of New York, Mr Mamdani, has suggested the creation of state-owned and run food shops – selling a good range of basics, bought wholesale and in quantity to take advantage of bulk discounts, which are then sold to customers at similar cost-saving prices, maybe with a little on top to cover staff salaries & deliveries.

They will never replace the big retailers, but this solution offers an alternative that is not reliant on surplus or near-out-of-date donations to food banks and pantries, and gives people real choice at affordable prices. As people look for ways to ease the cost-of-living crisis for families across the country, the Government has the chance to do something big by imagining an alternative food system.

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Lucy Antal is a food security and access campaigner based in Merseyside with the Alchemic Kitchen speaking on sustainable food supply chains & procurement.

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