Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help lower food costs for households in West Dorset.

The Government is taking action to address food prices by working with the food industry on supply chain resilience, regulatory burden, and structural drivers of food costs. Measures already taken as part of wider efforts to reduce pressure on prices due to the Middle East conflict include tariff reductions on a variety of customer staples. The Government is developing plans to work with local authorities to support improved access to healthy and affordable food in areas in greatest need. Targeted support is available for lower income households through the recently uplifted Healthy Start, plans for extension of free school meals, and the Holiday Activity and Food Programme.