Shoppers pay the price of ‘shocking inflation’ as food triples in cost | UK | News

Some supermarket products have nearly tripled in price in the past two years as the cost-of-living crisis bites.

On average food and drink prices in the two years to June went up by 25.8 percent. But consumer watchdog Which? found some individual products have soared much further.

A packet of six Mr Kipling Bakewell Cake Slices at Sainsbury’s, went from £1 to £2.75 on average –- a huge rise of 175 percent.

At Morrisons, mozzarella went from 49p to £1.19, increasing by 143 percent.

Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, said: “Our research exposes the shocking true scale of food price inflation at supermarkets since the cost-of-living crisis began.

“And shows why recent headline-grabbing price cuts of a few pence on some products are encouraging, but simply won’t be enough to help people struggling to put food on the table.”

She said it was crucial the Government responds quickly to the Competition and Marketing Authority’s grocery pricing review, expected imminently. And she called for updated rules that are fit for purpose “as we’ve found pricing practices, both online and in-store, to be inconsistent, confusing and sometimes missing altogether”.

She added: “But supermarkets shouldn’t wait to improve how they display prices, particularly where unit pricing is currently not provided on loyalty card offers, such as Tesco’s Clubcard. All supermarkets should follow the example set by Morrisons and commit to stocking essential budget ranges that enable a healthy diet in smaller convenience stores.”

Staples such as cereals, soft cheese and porridge oats saw huge rises – some by over 120 percent.

People on the lowest incomes are being hit the hardest, as budget lines have gone up 37 percent although these items are still usually the cheapest. Which? has been running a months-long campaign calling on supermarkets to sell value ranges in smaller convenience stores.

They were available less than one per cent of the time in smaller Tesco, Sainsbury and Morrisons stores.

This is despite two-thirds of those with a household income under £21,000 shop in these at least once a week.

Morrisons has since committed to stocking its Savers range in 500 Daily shops. Many of the major supermarkets have recently cut costs of everyday essentials such as milk and bread, however, these products are still more expensive than they were at the same time two years ago.

Supermarkets have been keen to point to a slowdown in year-on-year food inflation, which stands at 15.4 per cent, according to Which?

However, like official figures, this compares prices now with a year ago, when shoppers had already experienced months of spiralling costs.

Which? looked at 21,000 products at eight supermarkets.

Other big increases over the past two years were found at Sainsbury’s where British pork loin steaks went from £1.94 to £4.28, an increase of 121 percent.

At Tesco, Mr Kipling Chocolate Slices went from £1 to £2.59, an increase of 159 per cent. And Morrisons own-brand Free From Gluten Free Oats went from £1.20 to £2.75, a hike of 129 percent.

Asda’s Free From Special Flakes went from 62p to £1.50 on average, an increase of 142 per cent. At Lidl, Chene D’argent French brie went from 79p to £1.85, up 134 percent.

Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “After two years of sky-high inflation, which has seen energy, labour, commodity, farm, and transport costs all rise significantly for retailers, it is little surprise that prices are higher than two years ago. However, the hard work being done by retailers to absorb cost increases means the UK offers among the cheapest grocery prices in Europe. In recent weeks we have seen the prices of some key staples, such as butter and bread, begin to fall, as fierce competition between retailers continues to help customers get the best value in their weekly shop. Meanwhile, retailers continue to invest heavily in lower prices, locking the price of many essentials, and providing discounts for vulnerable groups.

“Rather than vilifying retailers, Which? should be focusing on providing useful information for consumers to help them navigate the cost of living crisis, and mitigate the effects of inflation. This includes helping to point customers to where prices have been cut, or where alternatives exist for goods which have seen larger price rises. Instead, Which? have focused on grabbing headlines by cherry picking a small number of products that have risen the most in two years, with little regards for the reasons why.”