Cost Of Food In UK Supermarkets Surges By 28 Per Cent

Food prices in the UK have soared by up to 28 per cent over the last twelve months, a new survey has revealed.
British consumers are having to fork out extra on a range of food products at local supermarkets, including staple foods such as bread and dairy products, according to trade magazine The Grocer.
The magazine’s latest weekly shopping survey has revealed for the first time the full scope of food and drink price rises in the wake of soaring raw material costs, stating that certain categories and retailers have implemented massive price increases, particularly on dairy and bread products.
The UK’s top three supermarket chains (Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s) were each selling a 284ml carton of double cream for 59p last year – a price which has now risen by 20 per cent at Tesco to 71p, 27 per cent at Asda to 75p and 10 per cent at Sainsbury’s to 65p, according to The Grocer.
Other price rises have included in-store bakery loaves at Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, which were selling for 73p this time last year, but have now risen to 84p at Asda and 94p at Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons have also risen the price of fresh whole milk from 33p a pint (September 2006) to 40p at both Asda and Tesco, while Morrisons and Sainsbury are selling the milk for 35p.
The latest price rises come in the wake of a huge increase in the cost of wheat, which has doubled in the past year. As well as being an essential ingredient in bread, wheat is also used in animal feed, which has led to the impact on the prices of dairy products.
The latest findings from The Grocer, which compiles a weekly ‘shopping-basket’ price survey of 33 popular products at the major supermarket chains, showed that meat prices have not as yet been affected by the inflation .
In addition, the trade magazine found that the average price of a shopping basket at UK supermarkets has risen from 2006 by just 0.84 per cent, from £51.94 to £52.38, with Tesco recording the sharpest rise of 5 per cent, followed by Sainsbury’s (1.9 per cent), Asda’s (1.4 per cent) and Waitrose by just 0.97 per cent.