Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has backed a campaign for affordable food for all.  A petition has been started by campaign group ‘Which?’, who say that “as food prices continue to increase – and inflation shows no sign of slowing down – it is crucial people get the support they need.”

Councillor Sykes said, “More and more people across Oldham Borough are simply unable to cope with the rising cost of food.  Food bank usage is skyrocketing and we’re even seeing schools making cuts to school meal budgets.  This is shameful in a developed country and the government is refusing to offer meaningful support.”

Which?’s latest research shows that over eight in ten people in the UK are making an adjustment to save money on food because of the cost-of-living crisis.  The most common changes are looking out for food on promotion or trading down to cheaper alternatives.  Alarming, among those who said they are struggling the most financially, half said that their household was skipping meals. 

The company have set out ten ‘action points’ it says that leading supermarkets can implement to help people with the cost-of-living crisis.

Councillor Sykes said, “Big supermarkets can and must do more to ensure the availability of healthy and affordable food, with clear pricing to help people budget and more offers to help those most in need.” 

Which? Petition

Affordable Food For All – Sign Which?’s petition for more affordable food for all UK consumers

Which?: Ten action points

1. Make unit pricing prominent, legible and consistent in-store and online so price comparisons are easy across different brands and sizes of packaging.
2. Provide clear unit pricing for promotional offers in-store and online so that people can work out whether they really are the best deal.
3. Provide a basic range of essential budget lines for affordable as well as healthy everyday choices that are available across stores, but particularly in locations where people most need support.
4. Consider adapting minimum spend requirements and other ways that online deliveries can be more cost-effective to increase options for households in areas with poor supermarket access.
5. Tailor marketing budgets and promotions, including through loyalty cards, vouchers and other offers, to support people where they are most likely to be struggling.
6. Promote the uptake of the Healthy Start and Best Start foods scheme, with a particular focus on the priority local areas where there is a low level of uptake.
7. Provide additional support or ‘top ups’ where people are able to be identified as in particular need – for example linking them to the healthy start or best start foods schemes and other targeted promotions.
8. Offer straightforward price reductions rather than multi-buy offers that require a bigger initial spend, may lead to more food waste and can make it more difficult to eat healthily.
9. Make available more promotions for healthy and sustainable foods, including fruit and vegetables, building on evidence of where promotions drive effective outcomes (eg. 60p fruit and vegetables).
10. Underpin these actions by promotions, recipes and advice that make lower priced, healthy and sustainable foods tasty and appealing to the breadth of communities that are served.