hurley

Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK, said the impact of last year's National Insurance rise and the cost of new packaging rules had already "rippled through to prices on the shelf edge" across the supermarket sector.

"Any policies which affect the operating costs of business should be considered very, very carefully because of the very real risk they find their way... back into the food system and onto prices," Mr Hurley told the BBC.

Mr Hurley said so far this year, more than £300m had gone into trying to offset the rising cost of goods and keep prices as low as possible.

Global factors have had a major impact on food inflation everywhere, including rising commodity prices, said Mr Hurley.

"If you speak to customers across the country, they'll tell you that inflation is persistent and urgent," said Mr Hurley.