§ Sir Michael NeubertTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the size of the retail food market in volume terms in each of the last five years to date.
§ Mr. CurryThe table provides estimates of the size of the food market derived from statistics on retail sales of food, confectionery and soft drinks. The current price estimates have been deflated by the food component of the retail prices index, 1986 = 100.248W
Retail sales of food, confectionery and soft drinks in Great Britain1 £ billion real terms 1986 31.5 1987 32.8 1988 33.5 1989 34.7 1990 235.5 1 Comparable data are not available for Northern Ireland. 2 Forecast. Source: MAFF estimates based on CSO retail inquiries data.