Business leaders across Scotland's food and drink sector have used a Scottish Government summit to unanimously urge SNP ministers to abandon plans for a mandatory price cap on essential supermarket items. The closed-door meeting, called to discuss rising food costs, was reportedly dominated by opposition to First Minister John Swinney's proposal, with attendees saying not a single participant spoke in its favour. This matters because the policy is the SNP's flagship manifesto pledge ahead of the Holyrood elections, and the government appears determined to press ahead despite near-universal industry pushback and its own consultation acknowledging the plan could cause shortages.

The summit brought together retailers, farmers, fishermen, manufacturers, poverty charities, academics and regulators, with figures from the Food and Drink Federation Scotland and the Scottish Retail Consortium warning the cap could raise shopping basket costs, trigger shortages, and damage the Scottish supply chain. The proposed Food Prices Bill would impose ceilings on 20-50 essential items, potentially including bread, milk and eggs, though exact details remain undecided. Business and Fair Work Minister Tom Arthur, who opened the summit, acknowledged the consultation was ongoing but reiterated the manifesto commitment, while the government said the discussions would "inform" its consultation and stressed the need for bold action on the cost of living.