Since the SNP announced plans to introduce a supermarket price cap, there has been plenty of discussion in food policy circles about what the proposal could look like in practice, and what impact it might have on shoppers, retailers and producers. We were recently asked to share our perspective, drawing on our experience of working directly with people on low incomes who are shopping for and preparing food on tight budgets. We were approached by groups researching how supermarket food prices could be made fairer and more affordable, and what governments can do to support people facing rising food costs.
How will the price cap affect families?
Food is too expensive. It’s something all of us at Edinburgh Food Social see firsthand – in our own lives, but also through the people we meet in our cooking classes and community projects, many of whom are trying to get by on Universal Credit or a low income. For many households, buying enough healthy, nutritious food is a real challenge. We see how much difference access to good ingredients, cooking skills and a welcoming space to cook can make, which is why we absolutely support action to make good food more affordable.
But we have some questions about whether a supermarket price cap is the right solution. For starters, where would the cap be set? If it’s close to current supermarket prices, it may make very little difference to households already struggling with their weekly shop. If it’s set much lower, we need safeguards to make sure supermarkets don’t simply increase the price of other products or squeeze farmers and producers further down the supply chain. Affordable food shouldn’t come at the expense of a fair return for the people producing it.
Cheap doesn’t always mean healthy! We also need to think carefully about which foods are included. In our cooking classes, we use simple, nutritious ingredients – often seasonal and surplus produce – to show people that healthy food can be affordable, delicious and accessible. So if bread is included in a price cap, for example, why should the cheapest option simply be the cheapest refined white loaf? We already know that ultra processed food is bad for us (more on that here) so why would we be encouraging the vulnerable people in society to choose that over healthier options? We’d like to see clear nutritional standards, including a requirement for capped bread to contain at least 10% wholegrain.
These ‘stealth wholegrains’ could help people increase their fibre intake through foods they already buy, without asking them to completely change their diets. And the same principle should apply to sustainability. The cheapest products shouldn’t be those produced through practices that harm our environment or leave producers struggling to make a living.
Fresh fruit and veg!
Affordability, health and sustainability need to be considered together. Food insecurity is about more than food prices. We see this in our own work too. Having access to ingredients doesn’t necessarily mean someone can afford to cook them. For households struggling with energy bills, turning on the oven or cooking from scratch can be a genuine barrier. That’s why our cooking projects aren’t simply about handing someone a bag of ingredients. They’re about building confidence, sharing skills and creating spaces where people can cook, eat and learn together.
We also believe that there is a lot of work to be done in terms of food waste. At EFS, we work with surplus food donations, turning ingredients that might otherwise go to waste into nutritious meals and opportunities for people to cook together. It seems absurd that perfectly good food can be wasted while people are struggling to afford a healthy meal. A price cap does little to address that bigger problem.
So what would we like to see? We’d love to see more investment in local and community-based food solutions: from subsidised vegetable boxes and local food producers to community cooking projects that make healthy food more accessible. These approaches can support local producers, reduce waste, build cooking skills and keep more money circulating within communities.
The goal shouldn’t simply be cheaper food. It should be a food system that delivers affordability, health, sustainability and fairness for everyone.
