THE cross-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee is to investigate how profitability and risks are shared through the food supply chain and the existing government system of monitoring and regulation of these. The impact of external factors on the supply chain, such as imported food and global commodity prices, will also be examined.
With households facing the highest levels of food price inflation since the 1970s, the parliamentary committee will look at issues throughout the food supply chain from ‘farm to fork’. It will take evidence from, among others, farmers, manufacturers, retailers, consumers and the Government.
This inquiry follows the Committee’s ongoing Food Security inquiry; issues around access to healthy and affordable food, especially for low-income households, are of continuing importance for the Committee. This focus will also include how households can access facilities such as allotments to grow their own food, and how achievable this is given the pressures of modern living.
After taking oral evidence in parliamentary evidence sessions, as well as written evidence, the Committee will issue a report with its recommendations for change where appropriate.
The Chair of the EFRA Committee, Sir Robert Goodwill MP, said “During these times of high food price inflation, when many people are struggling to give their families good food at a reasonable price, it’s our job as a committee to get to the bottom of what’s going on.
“We know that consumers are paying higher prices, but the question is – are the other parts of the supply chain unduly benefitting from that, or are some of them also feeling the squeeze?
“We need to strike the right balance to ensure healthy, affordable – and preferably British-produced – food is available to all of us.”
How to contribute to the inquiry
The Committee is inviting written submissions to the inquiry from people in the various parts of the supply chain as well as experts, academics and other people with experience in the area.
The full terms of reference for the inquiry are published below. However, written submissions do not have to cover every aspect of these terms of reference – your area of expertise is what we want to learn from. The deadline for written submissions is 28 July.
The Committee is seeking views in the following areas:
- Structure and operation of the food supply chain
- Market power and regulation
- Food prices, security and fairness
- Affordable and healthy food