Food manufacturers say that prices will rise sharply in the new year. Butter expected to rise by 10 pence a pound, cheddar cheese by nine pence. Bread will increase two pence a loaf, sugar by six pence a kilo Biher foods set for big increases include meat products, chocolate, marmalade and No takers for Gummer's £10 diet jam, and many other products.
The increases are due to the devaluation of the pound; EC farm prices have not been lowered in line with the devaluation.
But these increases come on top of steady food price increase sin the last two years. Cheap food in Britain is becoming a myth, mainly be cause of the price-fixing statistics released last week, According to two-person households in the top 20 per cent income bracket spend about 594 on food and drink a week.
John Gummer earns £65,000 a year and obviously hasn't been near a supermarket for a long time. TORY plans to crack down on hundreds of so-called new age travellers' could lead to up to 60,000 claimants a year losing social security benefits.
Mental iliness sufferers and ople with disabilties could be penalised as a result of more strin. dent entorcement of the rule that claimants must be actively look. ing for work' In place of warning letters, they could find their benefit arbitrarily suspended, pendine an appesi.
Yet of 29,000 warned in this 4,000 were able to satisfy the rules and 5,000 won on appeal.
The new reculations would prevent social security officers trom continuing 'hardship' pay. ments of 60-80 percent of benefit intil the appeal was heard. No. 32 21 Nov, 1992