UK supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Waitrose and Lidl are to be questioned by parliament in the latest inquiry into fairness in the supply chain.
The fourth session in the ongoing inquiry, which is to take place at 14.30pm on Tuesday 30 April, will see MPs on the cross-party EFRA Committee scrutinise senior representatives from the UK’s leading grocery retailers.
Witnesses include Tesco commercial director for fresh food Dom Morrey, Sainsbury’s chief food commercial director Rhian Bartlett, Asda chief commercial officer for food Kris Comerford, Waitrose commercial director Charlotte Di Cello, and Lidl GB chief commercial officer Richard Bourns.
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It is understood that the supermarkets will be asked about their business’ soaring profits in the context of the high food price environment in recent years, and look at the distribution of those profits throughout their supply chains.
Other topics the inquiry will probe include shrinkflation, in particular looking at whether retailer’s should assume more responsibility when it comes to notifying shoppers about a reduction of product size.
The parliamentary session comes amid the French government mandating that from July 2024, all grocery retailers will have to inform shoppers of products that have been shrunk, with signage to be presented for two months, as French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said consumers deserved “transparency”.
Le Maire added: “Shrinkflation is a rip-off, we’re putting an end to it. I want to rebuild consumers’ confidence and confidence goes hand in hand with transparency.”
The upcoming session in the parliamentary inquiry follows in the wake of last month’s session where FMCG giants such as Kraft Heinz and Unilever struggled to explain why their profits have jumped in recent years, as MPs accused major brands of “gauging, greedflation and profiteering”.
