Cabinet Ministers must stop acting like bystanders and take action when it comes to runaway food costs, according to Social Democrats food spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore.
Deputy Whitmore said:
“St. Vincent de Paul has said that nearly half their calls this year were about groceries, while Barnardos reports that four in ten parents are skipping meals or eating less to feed their children.
“Grocery price inflation has surpassed 6%, yet there’s been no indication that the State will provide relief for struggling families.
“Families cannot wait any longer for substantive action to be taken to reduce the cost of food – some were already paying €3,000 more a year than they were in 2021 when the temperature was gauged earlier this summer, and things have gotten worse since then.
“In a country as wealthy as Ireland, it shouldn’t be such a struggle just to survive – the cost of simply existing in this country has become unsustainable for many.
“More and more people are finding the task of securing a roof over their head, keeping the lights on and putting food on the table completely unaffordable – yet at the same time, supermarkets are making staggering profits.
“Increases in grocery prices have been rapid and relentless – today, it was announced that Dunnes in Northern Ireland increased its profits last year by a whopping 44% percent.
“In the Republic, we don’t know what Dunnes’ profit margins are as it doesn’t have to report them – it doesn’t have to file annual accounts, and the government refuses to address this.
“The Social Democrats has been highlighting this issue for years, asking the government to force large supermarket chains to publish their profits and give more powers to the Food and Consumer regulators so they can investigate and prevent supermarkets from ripping off their customers – but the State refuses to act.
“The grocery market in Ireland is worth at least 10 billion euros a year, and yet there is little to no transparency about their profits.
“This coalition has the power to intervene by empowering regulators and changing the law so that supermarkets are compelled to publish their margins.
“To date, it has shirked this responsibility, allowing for the situation to spiral further out of control.”
September 24th, 2025