Food prices for the consumer have climbed despite the economic downturn, but one supermarket claims to be doing its bit to assist residents financially during these tough times.

Pamela Ferreira, owner of The MarketPlace, claimed that her company was the only supermarket on the Island to react immediately to the economic crisis when it hit almost one year ago and has been striving to help residents make savings ever since.

Ms Ferreira said the supermarket chain had been offering competitive deals and value for money during big events such as Christmas, as well as running a campaign pricing groceries for $15 to feed a family of four through the summer.

"We have done everything at The MarketPlace we possibly can to help Bermudians," she said.

"To that end, we have been helping them shop and teaching them how to buy right and buy smart.

"We have been innovative and creative on our part and recognised through the industry for doing so."

Ms Ferreira said The MarketPlace had received commendations from some of the big food businesses in the US who had been watching their activity, adding that it came from a basic need to understand their customers.

"We know our customer and we react, and we feed the people of Bermuda — we are really the people's supermarket," she said.

Last month The Royal Gazette ran a story on local supermarkets, which revealed that the rise in the cost of food over the past year-and-a-half was attributed to rising shipping prices and pressure on the US food markets.

The Consumer Price Index for May 2009 showed that the average cost of food products climbed by 6.9 percent year-over-year, a monthly trend which has continued since January 2008, despite the annual rate of inflation reaching its lowest level of 1.4 percent since February 1977 and the cost of sectors such as fuel and power sector falling by 0.2 percent.

At the time the report was released, Zack Moniz, manager of Lindo's, said it was a case of supply and demand, with more people after less availability of products.

Tredick Gorham, president of Supermart, said the cost of food had been affected by inflation over the past few years, but pointed out that the monthly rise of 0.3 percent was significantly lower than June 2008, when it peaked for the year.