Three of the State's biggest anti-poverty organisations have called for the retention of the Groceries Order, saying families on low incomes would be at greater risk of food poverty if it were repealed.
The Society of St Vincent de Paul, the Combat Poverty Agency and Crosscare say it is worth considering extending the order to cover meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin is reviewing the order, which bans below-cost selling of packaged groceries and will bring proposals to Government in the autumn. The department has received about 400 submissions as part of the review process.
In a joint-submission the charities argue the order should be retained, opposing the position of the Competition Authority and the Consumer Strategy Group.
The Competition Authority says it is anti-competitive and costs households up to €500 a year in lost savings. It adds that while prices in other retail sectors have fallen over the past five years, they have risen by 9.6 per cent in the grocery sector.
But the charities say repealing it would force small independent retailers out of business and this is where low-income families do most of their grocery shopping as they tend not to have cars to reach the large multiples.
