The price of a brand of porridge has almost trebled in the last year as food prices soar.
Supermarkets have been urged to make breakfast staples more affordable as poverty campaigners warn many families are struggling to afford healthy options. Which? studied the price of basic groceries over the 12 months to December 2022.
It found basics including porridge, butter, milk and cheese soared by up to 30 per cent, compared with 12 per cent for supermarket luxury foods. Which? said an eight pack of Quaker Oats So Simple Apple porridge cost £1 at Asda in December 2021 but had gone up to £2.88 in December 2022 – a 188 per cent increase. But Asda said the product, which is currently retailing for £3.50 on Asda.com, was not actually stocked by the supermarket until September 2022.
Campaigners last night warned that breakfast foods are becoming unaffordable for many families. Mandy Morgan, from food bank group the Scottish Pantry Network, said: “Week on week we are seeing numbers increasing for those needing to access our food pantries, with more and more people needing to access help.
“The cost of fuel, heating homes, everything is up. Every pantry is on the lookout for breakfast food.
“Cereals are very expensive. It’s not something donated often and that’s because of price. With the price going up again, we’re not expecting that to change.”
Butters and spreads went up 29.4 per cent, milk was 26.3 per cent more expensive, while cheese was up 22.3 per cent. A tub of Utterly Butterly almost doubled from £1 to £1.95 at Waitrose. At Tesco, Creamfields French brie rose by 82 per cent, from 79p to £1.43. Bakery items were up 19.5 per cent.
Worryingly, inflation was highest on budget ranges at 20.3 per cent compared with 12.6 per cent on premium items. Which? is campaigning for all supermarkets to ensure “healthy” budget line items are widely available, particularly in areas where people are most in need.
Sue Davies, its head of food policy, called on them to “do more.” John Holland McKendrick of the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit said: “Supermarkets have a responsibility to ensure healthy food is affordable and government has a responsibility to ensure that our most vulnerable citizens have enough money to buy it.”
An Asda spokesperson said: “We’re working hard to keep prices in check for customers and remain the lowest-priced major supermarket – a position recognised by Which? in their regular monthly basket comparison which has named Asda as the cheapest supermarket for a big shop every month for the last three years.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here.
