Not so super
Row blows up over ‘inflated’ prices in food stores
THE VALENCIA government has called for ‘dialogue’ after minister for social rights Ione Belarra insisted that the coalition national government that she forms part of must take action to halt rising prices in supermarkets.
Sra Belarra has claimed that inflation is being made worse by ‘speculation’ by large chains – and she singled out Mercadona’s president,
Juan Roig, who she accused of carrying out ‘ruthless capitalism’. While the minister insisted that ‘brave measures’ will have to be taken because the ‘rise is not just being caused by inflation’, Valencia’s vice-president, Aitana Mas said that more talks should be held with the supermarkets and distribution sector ‘without pointing the finger at anyone in particular’.
Sra Mas claimed that the situation was ‘very complex’.
And she insisted that dialogue which includes business leaders, unions and governments is the way forward, regardless of whether prices are being ‘inflated’ or not by the chains.
According to Sra Mas, they have to deal with the situation in an open way – look at ‘what can be done’ and examine if abuses are really occurring.
However, Sra Belarra is in favour of taking ‘a hard line’.
She has insisted that the coalition government – in which her party Unidas Podemos is the minority partner with the Socialists (PSOE) – has to take urgent action to set maximum prices for staple products.
This would allow them to return basic food costs to levels of a year ago, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to give accessible prices to people who are struggling to feed their families.
She argued that the government successfully intervened in the energy market last year by setting a maximum price for gas used to
generate electricity, so bringing down the price – and the same could be done for food.
According to Sra Belarra, nine out 10 residents in Spain have had to change their habits due to the rise in supermarket prices. She claimed that many people can no longer afford to buy products which ‘are the best for them and their children’.
Mercadona’s Juan Roig responded to the accusations from Sra Belerra by saying that it is businesspeople who are generating ‘wealth and well-being’.
He was defended by Vicente Boluda, president of the Valencia business association, who stated that there are ‘no monopolies in Spain’.
“If you don’t want to make your purchases in one place, then you can go to another,” he said.