Guernsey and Jersey grocery prices to be investigated

The cost of buying groceries in Jersey and Guernsey is to be investigated by the competition authority.

The Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities (CICRA) said there was a perception the price of grocery shopping was too high.

The study will focus on everything sold at supermarkets in Guernsey and Jersey, not just food and drink.

CICRA's chief executive Andrew Riseley said the main aim of the study was to provide more transparency to consumers.

He said: "Our study will undertake a comprehensive comparison of prices for a range of groceries in Guernsey, Jersey, the UK and the Isle of Man.

"We intend to focus on investigating what causes differences in prices and to examine the extent to which these differences can be explained and justified."

Mr Riseley said if CICRA could identify higher prices which were not commercially justified then it would recommend measures to the relevant government departments in Jersey and Guernsey to "achieve better outcomes for consumers".

Local consumers will be asked for their views and the results are due to be published in October.