The boss of Tesco today warned customers are having to terminate their food shop at the checkout because they cannot afford to eat.
John Allan, the chairman of Tesco, said customers have been asking staff to stop scanning their grocery shop once their bill hits a certain amount because of the cost of living squeeze.
It comes a day after a report found 7.3 million adults now fall under the ‘food-insecure’ bracket and two million routinely skip meals because they cannot afford to eat.
Talking on BBC Radio 4 Today's show, Mr Allan said there is an “overwhelming need” for a windfall tax on energy companies after seeing the supermarket’s customers “extremely stretched”.
On a recent visit to a Tesco store, the boss said he witnessed customers asking staff to stop scanning items "for the first time in years."
He said: "I was hearing for the first time for many years of customers saying to check out staff, 'stop when you get to £40,' or something, 'I don't want to spend a penny over that.'
“You know, as opposed to having everything checked out and settling the bill at the end.
Have you had to terminate your food shop early? Get in touch: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
"So I think a lot of people are feeling something of a pinch and lots of people are actually feeling extremely stretched.”
Asked what he would like to see in the Queen’s Speech, John Allan said: “First of all, I think action to help people cope with a very, very sharp increase in energy prices.
"It’s harder for people to mitigate energy than it is with food, and I think there’s an overwhelming case for a windfall tax on profits from those energy producers fed back to those most in need of help with energy prices.
“I think that would be the single biggest thing that could be done.” He added that he thinks energy companies are “expecting it” and doubts “they would actually be much fazed by it”.
Consumers have "put the brakes" on their shopping habits due to the soaring cost of living, according to figures.
The latest BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor revealed that sales dipped in April after a sharp downturn in consumer confidence.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: "The rising cost of living has crushed consumer confidence and put the brakes on consumer spending.
"Sales growth has been slowing since January, though the real extent of this decline has been masked by rising inflation.”
Total food sales for the three-month period declined by 1.3%.
Paul Martin, UK head of retail at KPMG, said: "With interest rates and inflation rising and the Bank of England warning of a possible recession, the squeeze on disposable household income is starting to have an impact on the high street.”
Ministers have called for a windfall tax on oil and gas firms to help ease the cost-of-living crisis.
Labour's Keir Starmer has been urging the government to introduce a one-off levy on oil and gas giants as rising energy bills boost profits.
A windfall tax is usually a one-off levy imposed on a company or group of businesses that have unexpectedly benefited from something outside their control, in this case a surge in oil and gas prices.
Labour’s proposal is for a year-long increase in oil and gas producers’ corporation tax of 10 percentage points, which the party says would raise £1.2billion.
The money raised would be used to help offset a leap in household energy bills.
