BRITS are facing soaring price jumps on food and drink this winter – with the nation’s favourite cup of tea now costing more than ever.
The price hike comes as the inflated price of tea bags, milk and sugar have all surged.
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Research from the British Retail Consortium has warned that the simple ingredients are now more costly as food price inflation jumped from 10.6% to 11.6% since last month.
A 250g pack of tea bags has risen by 25p since this time last year, now sitting on the shelves at a whopping £2.28, according to the ONS.
While a kilogram of sugar is now an extra 5p at 76p on average, a pint of milk will also set you back an extra 19p from last September at 62p per carton.
Boiling a kettle also rose by 2p per boil in recent months, according to Chronicle Live, adding to the skyrocketing cost of a simple cuppa.
The massive price hike has been largely blamed upon Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has upended food exports from both nations since it erupted in February.
Worker shortages and the skyrocketing price of fuel have also been pointed to as the reasons behind higher food costs.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Even the price of basic items went up, with the price of the humble cuppa rising, as tea bags, milk and sugar all saw significant rises.
“With Christmas fast approaching, customers are looking for any sign of respite, but it is increasingly difficult for retailers to shoulder the ongoing supply chain pressures.”
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Andy Clarke, the former chief executive of Asda, told the BBC’s Today Programme customers are already buying less food in anticipation of the tougher months ahead.
He said: “It’s going to be a tough winter and food inflation is clearly just adding to the burden of families.
“For retailers, they’re doing everything they can, as are manufacturers, trying to find ways of reducing costs.
“But I think what we’re seeing is with everything they’re doing, they can’t protect the consumer as much as they’d like to.”
To help ease the cost-of-living squeeze, Ms Dickinson suggested the government should step in to halt food price rises by freezing business rates.
She added that this would prevent “an additional £800m bill landing on the plates of retailers and in turn their customers in 2023”.
What support can you get?
As households are facing mounting bills into the colder months, the government is offering several options to help hard-up Brits.
Among the support available is £150 for those with disabilities, a £400 energy rebate for 30 million UK households, and a £650 cost of living payment that is expected to help out over 1 million families.
The second Cost of Living payment is due to hit bank accounts from next week.
