The cross-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee of the House of Commons in the UK has launched an investigation into the country's food

supply chain. This follows the recent announcement that households are facing the highest levels of food price inflation since the 1970s. The EFRA committee will examine how profits and risks are shared from "farm to fork", the level of regulation, and the impact of external factors on the supply chain, such as imported food and global commodity prices.

The inquiry will investigate whether other parts of the supply chain are unduly benefiting from the higher prices, or whether they too are feeling the squeeze. Supermarket groups such as Tesco have denied claims that they are profiteering, stating that they have taken a hit to earnings and have operating margins of 4% or less, while major consumer goods firms such as Unilever and Nestle have margins of 16-17%.

Official data showed UK food prices were 19.1% higher in March than a year earlier, the biggest such rise since August 1977, while in April, grocery inflation was 17.3%, according to industry data. The EFRA committee does not have the power to change legislation, but it can take oral and written evidence from farmers, manufacturers, retailers, the government, and consumers, and issue a report with recommendations. Photo by Mtaylor848, Wikimedia commons.