The cost of British food basics, including cheese, butter and bread, has surged by more than 30% in the last two years.
According to Which?, food inflation has cooled in recent months but prices remain much higher than they were two years ago, significantly impacting low-income households.
Grocery price inflation fell to 14.9% in the four weeks to 9 July, compared to 16.5% the month before.
Despite the drop, figures from the consumer group show that food costs have continued to rise over the past two years – with some rocketing more than 30% since 2021.
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The products with the highest rates of inflation are milk (36.4%), cheese (35.2%), butters and spreads (32.2%), cakes and cookies (31.2%), and bakery items (30.3%), The Guardian reported.
Meat prices have surged 23.6% since 2021, vegetable prices are up 19.1% and savoury pies and pastries and quiches have rocketed 26.2%.
Juice drinks and smoothies have increased by 28.6% while biscuit prices jumped 27%.
Which? head of food policy Sue Davies said: “Despite well-advertised price cuts, Which?’s tracker shows that the cost of essentials like milk and butter is still very high and piling huge pressure on millions, which is why access to budget ranges is more important than ever to help people save money.”
The consumer group welcomed Tesco’s announcement on Friday that it would be stocking more own-brand and value ranges in its Express stores to support customers with rising grocery bills.
It follows Morrisons which introduced its Savers range to its Daily convenience stores.
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