The cost of living crisis has seen food staples rise in price with the likes of cheddar cheese, white bread and porridge oats having soared when compared to a year ago, according to latest inflation figures from Which?.
The watchdog found that overall inflation on food and drink at supermarkets continued to rise in March to 17.2 per cent, up from 16.5 per cent on the month before.
Cheese is something that will feature in many shopping baskets with it having increased by an average 28.3 per cent across eight major supermarkets – Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose – compared to a year ago.
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However, one product, Dragon Welsh Mature Cheddar 180g, sold by Asda, has seen a price increased from £1 in the three months to the end of March last year to £1.80 across the same period this year – an 80 per cent hike year on year.
The consumer group, according to PA, analysed inflation on more than 26,000 food and drink products at eight of the mentioned supermarkets. They also selected a basket of staple foods including cheddar cheese, sliced white bread, pork sausages, white potatoes and porridge oats to find which of these everyday products had seen the biggest price hikes.
The cost of porridge oats went up by an average of 35.5 per cent across all eight supermarkets compared to the same time last year.
However, showing the current situation surrounding inflation on porridge oats, Quaker Oat So Simple Protein Porridge Pot Original 49g sold by Ocado went from 94p to £1.56 – an increase of 65.5 per cent.
Bread, of course, is another staple whether it's brown or white. However large 800g loaves of sliced white bread saw an average increase of 22.8 per cent, specifically, The Bakery at Asda Soft White Medium Sliced Bread 800g increased by 67 per cent from 56p to 94p.
Average inflation in white potatoes was around 14 per cent, but a four pack of baking potatoes at Morrisons increased from 40p to 66p – a rise of 63.5 per cent.
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Pork sausages increased by an average of 26.8 per cent across the supermarkets however Asda’s Just Essentials budget range of eight sausages increased in price by 73.5 per cent from 81p to £1.40, while Tesco’s value Woodside Farms pack of eight went from 80p to £1.39, a 73.3 per cent increase.
The figures show it continues to be the cheapest products which are being the hardest hit by inflation, in percentage terms.
Which?’s tracker shows supermarket own-label budget items – which are still the cheapest overall – were up 24.8 per cent in March compared with the same time last year, higher than the 20.5 per cent increase seen on standard supermarket own brands and the 13.8 per cent on branded and premium own brand ranges.
Because of the ongoing cost of living crisis, it warned that value foods, despite still being a cheaper option, were at risk of becoming too expensive - even for those on the tightest budgets.
Which? is now calling on the major supermarkets to act by making budget line items widely available, particularly in areas where people are most in need, and to make pricing and offers more transparent so that people can easily work out which products are the best value.
Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, said: “Our latest supermarket food and drink tracker paints a bleak picture for the millions of households already skipping meals of how inflation is impacting prices on supermarket shelves, with the poorest once again feeling the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis.
“While the whole food chain affects prices, supermarkets have the power to do more to support people who are struggling, including ensuring everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, 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.”
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