(Aaron Chown/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Consumers are facing an extra £643 on the annual cost of their supermarket shopping as food price inflation hits record highs.
The latest data from research firm Kantar showed that grocery inflation now stands at 13.9%, the highest it has been since the company began tracking prices in this way during the 2008 financial crash.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said the latest figures would make “tough reading” for cash-strapped consumers.
“Based on our numbers, the average household is facing a £643 jump in their annual grocery bill to £5,265 if they continue to buy the same items,” he said.
In a bid to save money, shoppers are turning to cheaper alternatives to their usual products.
Sales of imperfect produce - such as Tesco Perfectly Imperfect and Morrisons Naturally Wonky fruit and vegetables - were up 38% in September.
Supermarket own label lines also grew by 8.1%, while branded items declined by 0.7%.
“We aren’t seeing dramatic evidence of diets changing. For example, while frozen veg sales have gone up slightly, there hasn’t been a big switch away from fresh products, which are still worth ten times more,” Mr McKevitt said.
Marmalade sales jumped 18% during the month as the nation paid its respects to the Queen, and her association with marmalade sandwich-eating bear Paddington.
Kantar also found that price worries are trumping environmental concerns when it comes to selecting which products to buy.
The proportion of British shoppers who try to buy products with more environmentally friendly packaging slipped to 59% in September, down from 62% last year.
But shoppers are keen to find more energy-efficient ways to cook, in order to beat energy price rises this winter.
Sales of cooking appliances including slow cookers, air fryers and sandwich makers, which generally use less energy, are up by 53%.
Meanwhile sales of duvets and electric blankets have grown by 8% while candles increased by 9%, suggesting people may be preparing for possible winter blackouts.
Lidl was the fastest growing grocer for the fifth month in a row, pushing up its sales by 20.9% over the 12 weeks, marginally ahead of Aldi whose sales rose by 20.7%.
