This is the tray of sausages, bacon, hash browns, fried eggs and other fried breakfast staples laid out for Senedd Members, including Welsh Government ministers, and their staff, every morning in Wales' Parliament. The full breakfast is available for a bargain £3.90 with the help of a healthy taxpayer subsidy.
The breakfast, which is provided by the taxpayer-funded body in charge of the Senedd, is there for ministers and their staff to enjoy at the subsidised rate even as they consider a wide variety of plans to make it more difficult and more expensive for the public to eat foods deemed to be high in salt, fat or sugar.
Plans that have been consulted on in Wales include restricting price reductions of unhealthy food including multibuys, like meal deals, making stores move less healthy food away from prominent locations and creating categories of products deemed to be high in fat, salt or sugar.
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There has been considerable discussion in recent days at the impact these ideas could have on popular meal deals, which might consign them to the dustbin (or perhaps recycle bin) of history. But it isn't just the humble meal deal, favourite of the office worker and the student, which could be in the cross hairs of policy makers. The ideas in the consultation, which came to an end in September last year, would also restrict buy one get one free offers and temporary price reductions on food which were high in fat, sugar or salt.
Ultimately, any such rules would have to be voted on by Senedd Members in the Welsh Parliament. However, both the MSs and their staff are able take advantage of the canteen in the Senedd which is subsided by the taxpayer. This creates a stark juxtaposition between the potential policies of the Welsh Government and the unhealthy (though delicious) meal that politicians can partake daily in Cardiff Bay.
Let's take the cost of a Tesco meal. If you don't have a clubcard, a sandwich, drink and snack will cost you £3.90. But if you were able to use the canteen in the Ty Hywel frequented by MSs and their staff you can, for the exact same price, receive a cooked breakfast including a hash brown, sausage, bacon, egg, beans, tomato and buttered toast - plus a coffee. If you wanted to build your own brekkie, you could, for the same price get yourself: two sausages, bacon, black pudding, a hash brown, a fried egg, beans, fried bread and two slices of toast.
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The amount the taxpayer provides towards catering in the Senedd is £408,000 a year currently and will rise to £416,000 next financial year.
It is important to make a few things clear. The first is that the Welsh Parliament and the Welsh Government are not the same thing. The Welsh Parliament/Senedd includes all the MSs and is a democratically elected body that makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government is the devolved government in Wales led by Mark Drakeford. The Welsh Government is the one onsulting on these proposals but does not run the canteen.
When WalesOnline approached the Welsh Government for comment on a situation whereby elected politicians could attempt to ban discounts on unhealthy food while enjoying similar food at a taxpayer subsidised rate, a Welsh Government spokesman said: “We are considering the next steps on price promotions and no final position has been made following the public consultation. It’s important to note that we are not proposing to ban meal deals, but we are considering whether there should be promotion restrictions on high fat, salt and sugar products, which could include meal deal promotions.”
The Welsh Conservatives said the potential plans were an "attack on consumer rights". Commenting, Welsh Conservative shadow minister for mental health, James Evans MS said: “At a time where household finances are already facing pressures, Labour’s proposal will represent yet another tax on food, that will hit the poorest in our communities hardest.
“Much like the banning of the sale of children’s clothes during the pandemic, this policy yet again shows that the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay are out of ideas. This policy will hurt the poorest in society - I want to see a policy that encourages people to make heathier choices and ensures that healthy food is affordable, in addition to helping people lead a more active lifestyle.
“The people of Wales don’t need a Government that bans everything. This is yet another attack on consumer rights by a radical left-wing government.”
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