The price of everyday food essentials could be controlled in Scotland under new proposals aimed at helping households struggling with the cost of their weekly shop.

The Scottish Government has opened a consultation on plans for a food price cap, including which products and retailers could be covered and how the system could operate without harming farmers and food producers.

The proposals are accompanied by a draft Bill and fulfil one of the commitments made by the government for its first 100 days.

Ministers say the measure is intended to ease pressure on household budgets, particularly for people on lower incomes who spend a greater proportion of their money on food.

The consultation represents an early stage in developing the scheme, with decisions still to be made over exactly what could be subject to controls and which businesses would be affected.

Views are being sought on the practical operation of a food price cap as well as the range of essential products that could potentially be included.

The government will also have to consider the impact of intervention on the wider food supply chain, including retailers, farmers and food producers.

Business Minister Tom Arthur said:

“Helping people with the cost of living is a top priority of this government.

“Our aim is to make essential food items more affordable for households struggling to pay for their weekly shop, particularly those on lower incomes.

“The consultation covers the wide range of factors we need to consider to implement a food price cap.

“I am committed to taking action to address food affordability that works with retailers and protects farmers and food producers.

“I have spent the last three months engaging with bodies with an interest in this and encourage everyone to have their say.”

The proposal comes as the cost of basic household essentials remains a significant concern for families, with food taking up a particularly large proportion of the budgets of people on lower incomes.

Any eventual scheme would have to balance the aim of making essential products more affordable with the need to avoid shifting additional costs elsewhere in the food supply chain.

That makes the detail of the consultation particularly important, with the definition of an essential food item and the businesses brought within the scheme likely to determine how widely any price controls would be felt.

For now, no final list of foods or retailers has been decided, with the consultation intended to help shape how the proposed system would work in practice.

The Scottish Government will use the responses to inform the development of the legislation and its approach to a potential food price cap.