Pensioners received two increases to make up for a rise in the cost of living, Minister for Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family and Children's Rights Michael Falzon said Friday.

He was giving a reaction to a cost-of-living survey carried out by Caritas, where it resulted that families are spending €100 more on food per month compared to 2020.

Last Tuesday Caritas presented a survey, which showed that those affected the most were elderly couples.

The study carried out by Caritas was about 2020; from that time till now we had two inceases in the pensions, apart from the cost of living adjustment, he said.

He added that if one had to calculate the increases given to tackle the cost of living, they amount up to “another €7 a week and let’s not forget the incentives we had done to better the quality of life thanks to the vouchers during the pandemic and also tax rebates”.

The minister said that nobody can deny that there is inflation all around the world.

"We give great importance to reports coming from Caritas, and in fact in the last three years i am sure that there were proposals that we took on board,” he said.

Asked about the recommendations that Caritas presented together with the studies, last Tuesday, he said that the government has already implemented some of them.

Speaking about foodbanks he said that it is "another issue which we will talk about", but he said he is not going to force any supermarket to give the government any expired goods.

In 2016, the French government had introduced a law forbidding food waste by supermarkets.

Asked wether Malta should take similar steps he said that "the French government has its ways of working", and that Malta has its own way. He added that there is nothing suggesting that there cannot be any changes in the future.

He added that "we are not the French government", and that since 2016 the Maltese government has increased pensions and the cost of living many times.