// Supermarket value ranges skyrocket in price with milk and cheese
// The rate of price increases for value ranges surpass branded and premium own brands
Price increases for supermarket value ranges have surpassed branded and premium own brands year on year.
Value ranges increased by 21.6% year on year in January while branded products jumped 13.2%, according to Which? inflation tracker.
Across the board, supermarket food and drink went up by 15.9% overall.
Muesli at Sainsbury’s was the biggest offender, as its price soared by 87.5% from £1.20 to £2.25, while tins of sliced carrots from Tesco rose 63% from 20p to 33p and pork sausages in Asda jumped 58.2% from 80p to £1.27.
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
The price of milk also soared 26.1% on average across eight UK supermarket while cheese went up by 23.8% overall with some individual examples skyrocketing as much as 96.6%.
Which? head of food policy Sue Davis said: “It’s clear that food costs have soared in recent months, but our inflation tracker shows how households relying on supermarket value ranges are being hit the hardest.
“Supermarkets need to act and Which? is calling for them to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, particularly in areas where people are most in need.”
Last week, Morrisons became the latest supermarket to announce another round of price cuts as part of its £148m investment into cutting prices of popular and essential items.
However, the grocer had been found to have hiked prices more than all other major supermarkets last year.
“Supermarkets must also do more to ensure transparent pricing enables people to easily work out which products offer the best value and target their promotions to support people who are really struggling,” Davis added.
Last month, the Competitions Market Authority (CMA) launched a review into online and instore pricing practices in the grocery sector to see whether shoppers are able to fairly compare the prices of items.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
