THE cost of value ranges of pasta, bread and baked beans have rocketed by up to 50 per cent in a year.
The gloomy stats lay bare the sheer scale of the cost of living crunch.
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Experts at the Office for National Statistics tracked the prices of 30 food and drink staples from supermarket own brands and found 24 of them had shot up.
Pasta soared by 50 per cent — the biggest percentage leap.
Crisps were up 17 per cent followed by bread and beef mince at 16 per cent.
In cash terms, beef mince went up by the most. A 500g pack went up from £2.02 in April last year to £2.34 this year — a rise of 32p.
A 500g pack of pasta went from 36p last April to 53p.
Fruit juice, breakfast cereal and baked beans have all gone up in cost as well.
Robert Halfon, Tory MP for Harlow, said: “People are being hit by a cost of living tsunami. I’ve got people working seven days a week so they can feed their families.”
Whitehall insiders warned rocketing food prices could be around for a while as the war in Ukraine and high energy costs continue.
A government source said: “We are monitoring the situation very closely.”
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The ONS stats showed just a handful of food prices had dropped in the past year.
Potatoes fell from 87p for 2.5kg to 75p. Cheese is down from 95p for a 255g block to 88p while a 300g pizza is now 95p — down from 99p last year.
Overall, own brand ranges of food and drink have risen in price by six per cent over the year — around the same level as inflation.
And as some producers whack up prices, others are turning to shrinkflation, cutting pack sizes to keep costs down, the ONS said.
Inflation hit nine per cent in April and is predicted to be ten per cent by Christmas.
Last week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a £21billion cost of living bailout package.
