As part of the Early Years Healthy Development Review I took part in a Mumsnet Q&A about early years provision.

One of the questions raised was about access to baby food and specialist medical nutrition products and any potential increases to prices. With a UK EU Trade deal secured and the bill passed in Parliament, a named day question that I submitted to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed that there will not be tariff-based increased to food prices for consumers. As the Minister confirms in the response below, factors that could affect prince increases are manufacturing costs, currency exchange rates and agri-food import prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to protect against potential increases in prices on (a) baby food, (b) infant formula and (c) specialist medical nutrition products in the event that the UK has reached the end of the transition period without a deal on its future relationship with the EU. (132898)

Answer:

Victoria Prentis:

We have now successfully negotiated a Free Trade Agreement with the EU and we will therefore not see tariff-based increases to food prices for consumers for agri-food imports from the EU which meet the Rules of Origin. Non-tariff measures could result in limited impacts. The factors which will continue to affect consumer food prices include agri-food import prices, domestic manufacturing costs and currency exchange rates.