Food and drink inflation surged to the highest on record again last month, with Britons witnessing mammoth increases for everyday items. The cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks rocketed 16.2% in October, against the same month last year, but some products have jumped by even more.
The rise in the cost of groceries has been accelerated by the war in Ukraine, which has pushed up the cost of fertiliser and animal feed due to the impact on grain supply from the region. Global meat and dairy prices have jumped as a result, while the knock-on effect to oil production in the regions has also hit the price of sunflower oil and other fats.
Here are some examples of how the cost of food has risen in the past year. The figures are based on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation and have been published by the Office for National Statistics.
In each case, the figure is the percentage change in the average price over the 12 months to October 2022.
Low-fat milk 47.9%
Margarine and other vegetable fats 42.1%
Pasta and couscous 34.0%
Sauces, condiments, salt, spices and culinary herbs 33.2%
Whole milk 32.6%
Butter 29.7%
Olive oil 28.3%
Cheese and curd 27.1%
Frozen vegetables other than potatoes 23.7%
Eggs 22.3%
Jams, marmalades and honey 22.2%
Ready-made meals 20.3%
Potatoes 19.9%
Poultry 19.7%
Meat 15.7%
Fish 15.7%
Yoghurt 15.7%
Bread 14.4%
Crisps 13.9%
Edible ices and ice cream 13.1%
Pizza and quiche 12.1%
Fresh or chilled vegetables other than potatoes 11.9%
Sugar 10.9%
Fruit 10.3%
Rice 9.6%
Chocolate 8.6%
Breakfast cereals and other cereal products 7.7%
Confectionery 5.6%
Dried fruit and nuts 3.8%
