Unilever, Arla and Kraft Heinz are among the companies set to give evidence in parliament over the fairness in the food supply chain inquiry.
Next week (19 March), the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee will allow MPs to question the effect of inflation on suppliers’ and manufacturers’ costs.
The witnesses parliament has called upon include Arla Foods UK managing director Bas Padberg, Kraft Heinz UK head of supply chain Dominic Hawkins and Unilever UK and Ireland head Marc Woodward.
The FMCGs’ portfolios cover a range of leading food brands, including Unilever’s Marmite, Hellmann’s and Magnum, Kraft Heinz’ Heinz Beans and Tomato Ketchup, and Arla’s Cravendale and Lactofree.
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Other witnesses that will be present include leaders of Dairy UK, Provision Trade Federation, The Agricultural Industries Confederation and Associated British Foods.
The questioning will come as the third evidence session exploring fairness in the food supply chain, and will examine how food production costs, food prices and retail prices interact.
Other topic areas committee members are due to investigate include how FMCGs are practicing “shrinkflation”; whether the relationships between food producers, manufacturers, and retailers could be improve; and manufacturers’ role in promoting affordable and healthy food.
The ongoing inquiry into the fairness in the food supply chain comes in the wake of organic veg box company Riverford renewing calls for supermarkets to get fair about farming following damning findings presented by the House of Lords.
Earlier this year, Parliament hosted its second evidence session of where farming bosses urged the UK government to intervene and call for supermarkets to recognise farm input inflation and offer fairer prices.
