Shoppers Paying More For Food Despite Repeal Of Groceries Order

Prior to the Order's repeal, shoppers were paying an average of 20.89 Euro for a basket of beef, milk, eggs and a range of vegetables, while they now pay 22.97 Euro, an increase of 2 Euro.

Fine Gael Agriculture & Food Spokesman Denis Naughten, TD said "The Government and the Competition Authority expected the generosity of big supermarket chains to lower their prices without any legislative changes to ensure that the customer would get the benefit of any discounts and rebates that were procured from suppliers. It is clear that the Government's strategy has failed, according to our study."

"Even more surprising is the fact that while the Government promised that food prices were supposed to fall in the last 12 months due to the abolition of the Groceries Order, the reality is very different. In the case of mushrooms, the supermarket price has increased by a whopping 31% in the year . It is clear from these figures that the Government's attitude to the consumer has been completely dismissive. We need a balance between protecting consumers from the blatant rip-off of escalating food prices while ensuring that farmers are rewarded fairly for their quality produce," he continued.