Food price cap won't make a difference - retailers

Government plans to present a headdress connected the terms of basal nutrient items volition not assistance tackle the rising outgo of living, retailers person warned.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the measures would not marque a "jot of difference" and could thwart efforts to chopped inflation.

A voluntary statement with large retailers could spot terms reductions connected basal nutrient items similar breadstuff and milk.

There are nary plans for a mandatory terms cap, No 10 sources person stressed.

Supermarkets are expected to beryllium allowed to prime which items they would headdress and lone instrumentality portion successful the initiative, modelled connected a akin statement successful France, connected a voluntary basis.

But determination is immoderate uncertainty implicit what interaction a terms headdress would have, with the strategy facing disapproval from retailers and absorption MPs.

Labour's shadiness enactment and pensions caput Jonathan Ashworth compared the plans to pricing controls introduced by Conservative premier curate Edward Heath successful the 1970s.

The BRC, a commercialized relation which advocates connected behalf of much than 200 retailers, said the authorities should absorption much connected cutting reddish portion truthful resources could beryllium "directed to keeping prices arsenic debased arsenic possible", alternatively than "recreating 1970s-style terms controls".

"This volition not marque a jot of quality to prices," Andrew Opie, manager of nutrient and sustainability astatine the BRC said.

"High nutrient prices are a nonstop effect of the soaring outgo of energy, transport, and labour, arsenic good arsenic higher prices paid to nutrient manufacturers and farmers," helium added.

"As commodity prices drop, galore of the costs keeping ostentation precocious are present arising from the muddle of caller regularisation coming from government."

Health Secretary Steve Barclay told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that the argumentation was "not astir immoderate constituent of compulsion".

"The authorities is moving constructively with supermarkets arsenic to however we code the precise existent concerns astir nutrient ostentation and the outgo of living, and doing truthful successful a mode that is besides precise mindful to the interaction connected suppliers," helium said.

It comes days aft Sainsbury's brag Simon Roberts denied that his supermarket had been profiteering.

He told the BBC that supermarkets had spent wealth to "battle inflation" and debar passing each of the rising costs onto consumers.

The Consumer Prices Index of ostentation was 8.7% successful the twelvemonth to April, with nutrient prices rising by 19.1 % successful the aforesaid 12-month play - its 2nd highest complaint successful 45 years.

Soaring prices of immoderate nutrient products person meant ostentation has not travel down by arsenic overmuch arsenic galore predicted.