A price-controlled shopping basket of groceries should be introduced, according to Independent MP Terry Lister.

He envisages a list of between 50 and 60 grocery basics should be created, with prices fixed across the country for three-month periods by a special panel.

“These 50 or 60 items could be bought at a fixed price from Somerset to St George’s,” he said.

Mr Lister was speaking after Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy announced that the year-long ten percent discount scheme on Wednesdays would end in November — because retailers can’t afford it.

The grocery store owners said the discount scheme had also affected shopping patterns, with Wednesdays cutting into the traditional busiest day of Saturday. The Chamber of Commerce added that retailers had noticed people were making more “higher ticket purchases” on Wednesdays to take bigger advantage of the discount available.

But Sen Fahy said other options were being considered to help those most in need as Bermuda continues to struggle with recession, including a discount on an agreed shopping basket of essentials.

Mr Lister said he proposed a price control board towards the end of 2013 because the ten percent discount scheme was flawed and a “band aid” approach to the problem of affordable food for families.

He said prices for the same item could vary from store to store even within the same chain and that a more coordinated approach than an across-the-board discount once a week was needed.

“If the retailers really are losing money on the present scheme, that’s unfortunate because that’s not the intent,” he said.

Mr Lister believes that essentials could be drawn from the shopping basket used to calculate the Retail Price Index and the Department of Health’s list of healthy family foods.

“Grocery stores carry at least a 1,000 items — for the other items in the shop, they can do whatever they like.

“What I am proposing wouldn’t cause them problems because what the 1,000 other items in the shop wouldn’t be subject to these price controls.”

And Mr Lister said: “With my scheme, the price would be the same every day. There would be no reason to rush in on a particular day. It would not change the pattern of sales.”

“I would hope Government would put this in place for an extended period of time, at least until Bermuda is back on its feet.

“It should also have a board to control it, with retailers appearing before it to make their case.”

Mr Lister said that items like bread, meat, cheese and “all the types of things you really need to have — cereals, juice, milk, that sort of thing” should be included in the basic basket.

“That to me is the target — trying to make sure the children are properly fed.”

Mr Lister said staples being fixed would mean that shoppers would not face different prices for the same goods across branches of the same chain.

“It takes that off the table and gives the customer responsibility to shop around for the best prices on all the other items not covered by price controls,” he said.

“That to me is the target — trying to make sure the children are properly fed.”