Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made (a) for the implications for his policies of recent wholesale food data from the Federation of Wholesale Distributors and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to businesses within the wholesale sector to safeguard food supplies to public services.
The Government fully recognises the extreme disruption to people’s lives, jobs and businesses caused by the necessary actions taken to tackle COVID-19. It is for this reason that the Government has announced unprecedented levels of support for workers and businesses. Food and drink wholesalers, which have played a critical role in supporting the food supply chain throughout the past months, are eligible for a number of these schemes, including:
Food and drink wholesalers will also benefit from the Chancellor’s recent announcement of the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme which will encourage people to safely return to eating out at restaurants for sit-down meals.