Price of some groceries more than double in a year
Which? has analysed inflation on more than 25,000 food and drink products at eight major supermarkets
Consumer group Which? has found the cost of some everyday groceries has more than doubled over the last year.
It has analysed inflation on more than 25,000 food and drink products at eight major supermarkets - Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
Which? looked at the average price of the products in the three months to the end of February 2023, compared to the same time period last year.
Data revealed that prices increased most at Lidl, followed by Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Tesco and then Ocado.
The organisation found a range of everyday items - including milk, meat and fruit - on each supermarket's list of groceries with the highest inflation.
It said own-brand products were particularly hard-hit and also featured heavily on lists.
Cheaper own-brand products particularly hit
The findings showed that budget and own-brand items were subject to higher rates of inflation than premium and branded counterparts overall.
Annual inflation of popular food and drink was found to be at 16.5% across the eight retailers in February. In particular, inflation on vegetables, juice drinks, smoothies and cereal rose.
According to the consumer brand's food and drink inflation data, the average price for Asda's Free From Special Flakes (300g) increased by 129%, rising from 62p to £1.43.
Meanwhile, Waitrose's Essential Italian Mozzarella Strength 1 (drained 150g) rose from 80p to £1.77, a 121% increase.
Morrison's Free From Corn Flakes (300g) also rose significantly from 60p to £1.29 (115%).
Sainsbury's Hubbard's Foodstore Water (2L), Tesco Creamfields French Brie (200g) and Lidl's Chene D'argent Camembert (250g) also more than doubled in price.
Transparent pricing needed
Which? head of food policy, Sue Davies, said: "Worryingly our tracker shows that some everyday essentials have more than doubled in price over the last year - with cheaper own-brand items particularly hard hit.
"Supermarkets need to step up and ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, particularly in areas where people are most in need.
"Retailers must also provide transparent pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value."
A Lidl spokesperson said: "We are extremely concerned that since the launch of this 'tracker' Which? has consistently chosen to publish information that we, and other retailers, have confirmed to be incorrect. This includes data for products that we do not even sell."
A statement from Which? said that Lidl has "failed to say what the inaccuracies are".
An Asda spokesperson said: "We're working hard to keep prices in check for customers despite global inflationary pressures and we 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.
"We recently announced we would be freezing the prices of over 500 popular branded and own label products, more than half of which are fresh meat, dairy, fruit and vegetable products until the end of May."
A Morrison's spokesperson said: "This is an unprecedented period of inflation and we are working hard to keep prices down and competitive for our customers while maintaining high standards and availability in all our stores.
"We recently reduced the price of 1,000 popular products and remain committed to doing all we can to help when it comes to the cost of grocery shopping."
An Ocado spokesperson said: "We continue to support our customers by investing in price across branded and own-brand products. We've also recently introduced the Ocado Price Promise so customers can be sure they're getting great value."
A Waitrose spokesperson said: "Although no retailer is immune to inflation, particularly with dairy products comprising the majority of this basket, we've been working hard to keep prices as affordable as possible for our customers - and have already committed a record £100 million to lower the prices on hundreds of everyday staples."
Aldi declined to comment.
Sainsbury's and Tesco were contacted for comment.
The cost of living crisis is affecting many:
Interest rates and inflation go up
Inflation rose by 8.8% in the 12 months to January 2023, down from 9.2% in December 2022. With interest rates also rising to 4%, those saving money will earn more interest on their finances, whilst those paying mortgages would pay more interest to the bank.
Energy bills
The price of energy went up incredibly as the cost of living crisis hit, with the gas price spike caused largely by the war in Ukraine. The price cap - which is set by an independent regulator to help offset costs onto customers - was set to rise to £3,549 for an average home in October but a price freeze from the government restricted the typical bill to £2,500. That's still an increase of 27% from the previous energy cap and as it's a cap on unit cost, the more energy you use the higher your bill will be.
Food prices
The cost of a weekly shop also has gone up as a result of the cost of living crisis. As a result of the war in Ukraine, a number of products including cooking oils and wheat have been disrupted. This means that several products are now considerably more expensive, driving bills up for customers.
Prices at the pumps
The average cost of petrol has also rose to unprecedented levels. Supply lines for petrol have been thrown into doubt as a result of the war in Ukraine, as Russia is a large export partner for gas, oil and fuel. In April 2022, the average price for a litre of petrol on the forecourt was 160.2p, whilst a litre of diesel would cost 170.5p. By late June 2022 the price had risen to an average of 190.9p for a litre of unleaded and 198.9p for a litre of diesel. In March 2023 the price wass on average of 147.03 in petrol and 167.04 in diesel.
Average cost of filling up a car with petrol hits £100
On 9th June 2022, the average cost of filling up a car with petrol hit £100 for the first time ever. Diesel had already hit that milestone. It comes as the cost of fuel hit a record high of one pound eighty a litre. The 2p rise was the biggest daily jump in 17 years. Prices have dropped by at least 20p per litre since the high point.