Household favourites have almost tripled in price in the past two years as millions struggle to feed their families, a new report has revealed.
Analysing over 21,000 food and drink products at eight major supermarkets, consumer group Which? found some products were up to 175 per cent more expensive in the three months to the end of June 2023 than for the same period two years earlier.
The price of bakery goods jumped by over 30 per cent on average in this time, whilst cheese and meats soared an average 35 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.
The worst case was Mr Kipling Bakewell Cake Slices x6 at Sainsbury’s, which went from £1 to £2.75 on average – a rise of 175 per cent
The worst case was Mr Kipling Bakewell Cake Slices x6 at Sainsbury’s, which went from £1 to £2.75 on average – a rise of 175 per cent, Which? found.
Other shocking examples included Morrisons own-label Mozzarella, which soared from 49p to £1.19 on average, increasing by 142.9 per cent over, and Sainsbury’s British Pork Loin Steaks (4 x 480g) which climbed from £1.94 to £4.28 on average, an increase of 120.6 per cent.
Aldi, Asda and Lidl were the top offenders for hiking up their prices in the past two years, the consumer group revealed.
And Which? is now urging government to take strong action to support households when the competition regulator publishes its findings on the grocery sector later this month.
The Competition Markets Authority (CMA) will look at whether prices are clearly and fairly displayed at the supermarket as well as its review into ‘greedflation’.
Sue Davies, Head of Food Policy at Which?, said: ‘Our research exposes the shocking true scale of food price inflation at supermarkets since the cost of living crisis began and shows why recent headline-grabbing price cuts of a few pence on some products are encouraging, but simply won’t be enough to help people struggling to put food on the table.’
‘It’s crucial that the government responds quickly to the CMA’s grocery pricing review by updating the rules so they are fit for purpose, as we’ve found pricing practices, both online and instore, to be inconsistent, confusing and sometimes missing altogether.’
