John Swinney has shifted from a proposed legal cap on 20-50 essential food items in large supermarkets toward a voluntary agreement with retailers.
The plan was pitched as a response to surging grocery costs on public-health grounds, covering staples such as bread, milk and cheese.
Retail and economics groups attacked the idea, with the Scottish Retail Consortium calling it a gimmick, grocers warning smaller shops could be undercut, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies labeling it radical and risky.
A legal cap also faces a likely challenge from the UK government under the Internal Market Act, leaving Swinney caught between an unenforceable voluntary scheme and a statutory plan that could be blocked.
Price caps worked in Greece but failed in Venezuela. Which path will Scotland's controversial new plan follow?
Will capping bread and milk prices simply make everything else in your shopping basket more expensive?