§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether he will publish in the Official Report a detailed break-down of the price of potatoes one year ago and to date; and to what extent the potato crisps manufacturers announcement of increase in the weight shows a true reflection of this price reduction.
§ Mr. MaclennanThe average wholesale price of potatoes has fallen from 8.5p per lb. in October 1976 to 2.2p per lb in October 1977. I understand that potatoes may account for roughly a quarter to a third of the costs of producing potato crisps. After allowing for some increase in other costs, the reduction in potato prices would appear to have been broadly reflected in the lower unit prices for crisps resulting from larger packet sizes.