Supermarkets: Prices
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what research his Department has conducted on supermarket pricing in recent years.
Answered by Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
The Department has considered supermarket pricing evidence through its work on the Price Marking Order, including a 2023 consumer survey and public consultation on unit pricing, which showed strong support for helping consumers identify best value. It has also considered Competition and Markets Authority findings on price marking and promotions, which informed recent updates to improve the consistency, visibility and transparency of pricing information. We recently updated the PMO in October 2025 to increase standardisation and transparency across a greater range of goods. These came into effect in April this year.
Additionally, Defra monitors food price inflation and publishes regular statistical reports using sources including the Office for National Statistics. Its in-house econometric model assesses how food supply chain cost changes affect consumer prices, including supermarket prices.
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