The UAE residents will be able to buy hundreds of daily food stuffs and products at discount prices until March 31 under a new government-backed scheme aimed at battling inflation, said a report.

The scheme, that has been introduced to mark Gulf Consumer Protection Day, will cover food items including chicken, lamb, rice and toothbrushes, the UAE daily The National reported on Monday.

Consumers will be able to save up a third on selected grocery items this month under this new scheme which covers some of the Emirate’s biggest supermarkets, including LuLu Hypermarkets and a number of general store co-operatives.

The move comes just weeks after the ministry of economy said it was working to cut food prices by 50 per cent by April this year, the report noted.

The ministry plans to ban food outlets, dealers and importers from selling food stuffs at 2008 prices from the end of March - a policy that will be enforced and monitored by officials.

Food and general goods prices had risen in the emirate on the back of rising inflation that hit a high of 12.2 per cent in March last year, according to the Consumer Protection Department (CPD).

'I tried to co-ordinate with all sectors, the private sectors and also the co-ops, to try to help the consumer. These are strategic items, such as rice, flour, sugar and oil,' Dr Hashim al Neaimi, CPD director was quoting as saying.

The Abu Dhabi Co-operative Society planned to discount 235 items and LuLu Hypermarkets would sell about 50 items at the suppliers’ price, he said.

Sharjah Co-operative Society is discounting 200 items, Baniyas Co-operative Society has 150 items, and the Union Co-operative Society is selling 25 items at cost, he added.