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Inflation: Supermarket meat, yoghurt and vegetable prices doubled in a year

inflation BRISTOL, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 03: Fruit and vegetables are offered for sale inside a branch of the supermarket retailer Sainsbury's on December 03, 2022 in Bristol, England. The UK is currently facing a cost of living crisis, as inflation hits a near-30-year high, the war in Ukraine puts pressure on food prices and rising energy bills squeeze household incomes still further. To add to the misery, many UK households face a further rises in home energy prices as energy price caps are raised.The British retailer, founded in 1869, is one of the largest market leaders of groceries in the UK. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Which? analysed prices on more than 26,000 food and drink products for its inflation tracker. Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty (Matt Cardy via Getty Images)

UK consumers are paying more every time they go to the supermarket, with some meat, yoghurt and vegetables among items costing double what they were this time last year as food inflation surges.

Which? analysed prices on more than 26,000 food and drink products for its inflation tracker at eight major supermarkets — Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado (OCDO.L), Sainsbury’s (SBRY.L), Tesco (TSCO.L) and Waitrose.

What has gone up in price and by how much:

  • Morliny Frankfurters (350g) rose from an average of £1.25 to £2.42 at Asda — a rise of 93.8%

  • A four pack of brown onions at Morrisons went from 65p to £1.24 — 90.8% more over the course of 12 months

  • Lancashire Farm Natural Bio Yoghurt 1kg went up by £1, from £1.18 recorded 12 months ago to £2.18 in April at Morrisons, a rise of 85.3%

  • Aberdoyle Dairies Natural Cottage Cheese 300g at Lidl has gone from an average of 67p in 2022 to £1.34 this year — a difference of 100.9%

  • Tesco's own-brand Salmon Tails 260g went from £3 to £4.54 — a rise of 51.4%

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Supermarket own-label budget items were up 25% in April compared with the same time last year. 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.

Read more: Coffee beans and ready meals surge in price as food inflation hits record high

Other food categories where inflation continued to rise month on month included juice, chocolate, water, fish, chilled ready meals and cheese.

Branded goods meanwhile showed no change, staying at 13.8%, while regular own-brand food and premium own-brand food inflation decreased slightly since last month.

Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, said: "It’s very alarming to see products such as meat, cheese and vegetables that people rely on still rapidly soaring in price.

"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.

“Supermarkets must also provide transparent pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value.”

Read more: Inflation: From milk to bread, what is driving the surge in food prices

Which found inflation in categories that have previously seen the highest rises, including milk, butters and spreads and bakery items, has eased slightly.

Inflation by supermarket

  • Aldi - 22.9%

  • Asda - 17.5%

  • Lidl - 24.9%

  • Morrisons - 18.4%

  • Ocado - 11.0%

  • Sainsbury's - 14.7%

  • Tesco - 14.5%

  • Waitrose - 13.1%

Inflation is the increase in the price of something over time. If a bottle of milk costs £1 but £1.05 a year later, then annual milk inflation is 5%.

Food prices increased by 19.2% year-on-year, the sharpest jump since August 1977, as UK households continued to grapple with double digit inflation.

The consumer price index rose by an annual 10.1%, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is a slight dip from the unexpected jump to 10.4% of February.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak is set to meet with farmers and supermarket bosses this Tuesday amid double-digit inflation and rising food prices.

Watch: Food inflation: ‘We’re not expecting large scale price rollbacks,’ analyst says

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