Foodstuffs says supermarkets can't take all the blame, for the price customers are paying at the checkout

The Government's seeking advice on potentially breaking up the Foodstuffs-Woolworths duopoly, possibly by separating their retail and wholesale arms.

Foodstuffs North Island Chief Executive Chris Quin says the announcement has shocked their supermarket owner-operators.

He says if the Government wants to address grocery prices, it needs to look at the whole system.

Quin says supermarkets take 19 cents in every dollar to fund their operations, but the remaining 81 cents is the cost of the goods and other things.