Food inflation is soaring and the price of household favorites has nearly tripled in two years as millions struggle to feed their families, reports show
- Which? found products were up to 175 percent more expensive in three months
- Bakery products rose by more than 30 percent, cheese and meat products by 35 and 24 percent
- Aldi, Asda and Lidl were the biggest offenders for raising their prices in two years
Household favorites have nearly tripled in the past two years as millions of people struggle to feed their families, a new report finds.
Analysis of more than 21,000 food and beverage products at eight major supermarkets, consumer group Which? found that some products were up to 175 percent more expensive in the three months to the end of June 2023 than in the same period two years earlier.
The price of bakery products increased by more than 30 percent on average during this time, while cheese and meat rose by an average of 35 percent and 24 percent respectively.
The worst case was Mr Kipling Bakewell Cake Slices x6 at Sainsbury’s which went from £1 to £2.75 on average – a 175 per cent increase
The worst case was Mr Kipling Bakewell Cake Slices x6 at Sainsbury’s, which went from £1 to £2.75 on average – a 175 per cent increase. Which? found it.
Other shocking examples included Mozzarella, Morrison’s own label, which rose from 49p to an average of £1.19, up 142.9 per cent, and Sainsbury’s British Pork Loin Steaks (4 x 480g), which rose from £1 .94 to an average of £4.28, an increase of 120.6 per cent.
Aldi, Asda and Lidl were the biggest offenders for raising their prices over the past two years, the consumer group revealed.
And which? now urges the government to take strong action to support households when the competition authority publishes its findings on the food sector later this month.
The Competition Markets Authority (CMA) will check whether prices are clearly and fairly displayed in the supermarket and investigate ‘greed’.
Sue Davies, Head of Food Policy at Which?, said: ‘Our research exposes the shocking true magnitude of supermarket food price inflation since the cost of living crisis began and shows why the recent headline price cuts of a few pence in some products are encouraging, but will simply not be enough to help people who are struggling to put food on the table.’
It is critical that the government responds quickly to the CMA’s pricing review by updating the rules to be fit for purpose as we have found pricing practices, both online and in-store, to be inconsistent , confusing and sometimes completely missing.’