The Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal obligation on large supermarkets to alert customers when product sizes are reduced but prices stay the same, or prices increase per unit, a practice widely criticised as “shrinkflation.”
Under a proposed amendment to the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, supermarkets would be required to display clear notices on or next to the affected products for a minimum of 60 days.
The measure aims to ensure greater transparency for shoppers facing rising prices during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
MPs may vote on the Lib Dem proposal on Wednesday (June 4), when the Bill is scheduled to return to the Commons for its report stage.
Clive Jones, the Liberal Democrat trade spokesperson, said the amendment is essential to protect consumers from being misled through shrinkflation practices.
“Shoppers have been hammered during a cost-of-living crisis all while massive companies and big supermarket chains are forcing them to pay more for less to protect their bottom lines.
“They need to be called out on it and for shoppers to know when they are at risk of being ripped off.
“The Government should accept this Liberal Democrat amendment so that we can help protect shoppers and their already stretched household budgets from another round of shrinkflation," Jones said.
The Bill as a whole gives powers to ministers to regulate the marketing and use of goods in the UK after Brexit.
It was previously amended in the House of Lords to provide protections to the imperial pint measure to ease fears over its future.
The changes accepted by the government would bar ministers from preventing or restricting the use of the pint in relation to draught beer, cider or milk in returnable containers. It also provides a definition of a pint as 0.56826125 cubic decimetres.
A Department for Business and Trade spokesman said, “We’re committed to protecting consumers from unfair commercial practices and making sure they have all the information they need to make informed decisions on purchases.
“That’s why we’re bringing in strict new laws next year to make sure businesses use clearer labelling for prices on supermarket shelves, and retailers show all unit prices in either kilograms or litres to improve clarity for shoppers.”
The proposed amendment adds further pressure on supermarkets already facing scrutiny over pricing practices and food inflation, with shrinkflation increasingly under the spotlight from consumer groups and trade bodies.
