New research shows that basic food items have increased 40% in the last year, according to the Office for National Statistics. The new experimental data tracks how the lowest prices of 30 grocery items have changed since April 2021, which the ONS says are contributing to the cost of living crisis.
The prices of the cheapest vegetable oils and pasta in British supermarkets have soared by nearly two-thirds in the last year. Statisticians said the cost of the lowest-priced vegetable oil had spiked 65% and the cheapest pasta was now 60% more expensive than a year ago.
If you have a daily brew, the price of the cheapest tea had risen by 46% in the last year and basic carbohydrates have also seen big increases. Chips were up 39%, bread rose by 38% and biscuits were up 34%.
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The three largest average price rises between April 2022 and September 2022 were vegetable oil (up 80 pence for 1 litre to £2.58), chips (up 27 pence to £1.37 for 1.5kg) and milk (up 25 pence to £1.52 for 4 pints).
Out of the 30 grocery items, only four items have fallen in price in the last year. Orange juice showed the largest decrease of 8% (6 pence per litre), followed by minced beef by 7%, sugar by 0.3% and rice by 0.2%
National statistician Sir Ian Diamond said: "While the recent spike in inflation began with energy prices, today's fresh insights using a new innovative data source show they are now filtering through to other important items, with the cheapest price of some staple food items rising by around two-thirds in the last year."
To collect this data, ONS reviewed online grocery price quotes from April 2021 to September 2022 from seven major supermarket retailers' websites. Prices were assessed for 30 everyday food and drink items, which included fresh fruit and vegetables, cupboard staples, dairy products, and meat and fish.
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