A Scots woman has cut back on buying essential shopping items like bread and eggs as she struggles to cope with the cost of living crisis.
Tamar Watson, from Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, cannot work due to multiple disabilities and says she and her partner, who is her full-time carer, have had to start skipping meals or avoid buying basic food items because it has become too expensive.
Tamar’s nearest supermarket is a small village Co-op, where she says it can be hard to find the cheaper products. Her story comes as consumer group Which? call on supermarkets to ensure budget ranges are available in all express and local shops.
Tamar, 56, said: "Sometimes we just have one large meal at 1pm and in the evening we just have yoghurt and fruit.
“I’ve stopped buying bread due to the cost and have also cut back on eggs and cheese."
Tamar and her partner are reliant on state help including disability benefits and £76.75-a-week carer’s allowance and she admits they have had to be savvy to ensure they are eating regularly.
She added: “We batch cook to save on electricity and try and bulk out meals such as shepherd’s pie with pearl barley to make the meat in them stretch further.
"I believe there is a margin to reduce the basic essentials people need.”
Research recently published by Which? found budget ranges were available less than 1% of the time in smaller Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons stores – yet two-thirds of those with a household income under £21,000 shop in these at least once a week.
A crisis summit on food prices between supermarket bosses and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will take place on Tuesday with millions struggling to cope.
The Competition and Markets Authority will probe the sector amid accusations of profiteering, and will assess how competition is working overall in the market.
In March, food inflation reached 19.1%, a 45-year high and almost double the 10.1% overall rate.
CMA boss Sarah Cardell said: “Grocery and food shopping are essential. We recognise that global factors are behind many of the price increases, and we have seen no evidence at this stage of specific competition problems.
“But, given ongoing concerns, we are stepping up our work in the sector to help ensure competition is working well and people can exercise choice with confidence.”
Bosses are being hauled to Number 10 for today’s Farm to Fork summit to explain to the Prime Minister why grocery prices are rising despite falling wholesale costs.
Which? has urged Mr Sunak to make several demands. As well as the budget stores commitment, it has asked him to get supermarkets to commit to clearer unit pricing, especially on promotions and loyalty card offers, so that people can easily work out which products offer the best value.
Which? also found supermarket own-label budget items were up 25% last month year on year.
Sue Davies, head of food policy, said: “It’s very alarming to see products such as meat, cheese and vegetables that people rely on still rapidly soaring in price.”
A Government spokesman said: “Our summit will bring together government and representatives from across the food supply chain to step up cooperation and promote our world-renowned farming and food industries.”
They added the Government “understands the concern” among the public about food prices and their impact on household budgets, which is why halving inflation is a “top priority”.
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