Some supermarket food prices have doubled in the past year, new research shows.
Consumer group Which? analysed the prices of more than 26,000 food and drink products at eight major supermarkets — Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose — to see how everyday items are being affected by inflation.
Some meat, yoghurt and vegetables are among the products that now cost around twice as much as they did this time last year.
For example, Morliny Frankfurters (350g) at Asda stores increased from an average of £1.25 last April to £2.42 (a rise of 93.8%). At Morrisons, a pack of four brown onions went from 65p to £1.24 (up 90.8%) and Lancashire Farm Natural Bio Yoghurt 1kg went up by £1, from £1.18 a year ago to £2.18 (a rise of 85.3%).
The prices of juice, chocolate, water, fish, chilled ready meals and cheese have also continued to rise.
Overall food inflation has started to ease slightly, from 17.2% in March to 17.1% in April, compared to the same period the year before.
However, Which? also found that supermarket own-label budget items were up 25% in April versus 12 months earlier. While these products are still usually the cheapest available, the scale of these price increases demonstrates how low-income shoppers are being hit hard by soaring inflation, the group said.
Supermarkets and farmers are meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday to discuss how the UK can improve the way it produces and sells food.
“As the Prime Minister gathers supermarket bosses today to discuss the problem of inflation, we urge him to ask supermarkets to commit to do much more, including stocking budget lines in convenience stores to ensure easy access to basic, affordable food ranges that support a healthy diet, particularly in areas where people are most in need,” said Sue Davies, Which? head of Food Policy.
“Supermarkets must also provide transparent pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value.”
