Rising Jersey food costs ‘pushing families close to breadline’

BBCCarl Walker, chairman of Jersey’s Shopper Council, says rising meals prices are pushing households in direction of povertyRising meals prices are seeing households being pushed in direction of poverty, the chair of Jersey’s buyers’ rights group has stated. Latest inflation figures for Jersey confirmed the price of meals went up by 4.1% in 2025. Carl Walker, chairman of Jersey’s Shopper Council, stated all meals costs hit islanders laborious, nonetheless, 4% sounded optimistic “if you assume again to what we had a few years in the past at 12% when it comes to inflation”.He added: “For those who’re incomes much less, you are spending extra of that wage again in your meals objects, and if you happen to’ve obtained youngsters as nicely, it actually does push folks very, very near the breadline for the time being.”‘Lack of earnings’Mr Walker stated on daily basis islanders noticed meals prices rising however there have been financial savings that could possibly be made. “There are large value variations, even for precisely the identical merchandise amongst our few supermarkets on this tiny island and the extra folks can educate them about these value variations, the higher knowledgeable they will be and the more cash they’re going to be capable of save.”A petition to take away the products and providers tax (GST) from meals has reached greater than 1,000 signatures.Mr Walker stated: “While it appears an apparent win for customers, the Shopper Council has at all times been very cautious about backing a transfer to take away GST off meals as a result of finally the federal government would then have to get better that lack of earnings elsewhere.”Natalie Standen is a volunteer for and consumer of the Olio appOne method Jersey residents have seemed to save cash has been utilizing the app Olio, which permits folks to purchase unsold grocery store meals at a diminished value.Natalie Standen, volunteer and consumer of the app, stated costs had “gone via the roof”.She stated she had been a volunteer for eight years and had seen a “big development” in use of the app. “We flip as much as the shops, we acquire the meals, we checklist it after which anybody and everybody can come and acquire a bag of meals.”She stated folks largely obtained bread, salad and bananas. “Something that they request that they will use, we’ll have it prepared for them and it truly is saving households some huge cash.”