Some branded food products have more than doubled in price over the past year, according to research by Which?
The firm monitored the price of nearly 26,000 groceries across Asda, Aldi, Morrisons, Lidl, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Tesco and found that a box of six Mr Kipling’s Chocolate Slices at Tesco had risen the most.
The cakes were priced at £1.16 on average during the three months to the end of July last year but soared to £2.66 during the same period in 2023.
Similarly, a six pack of Mr Kipling Bakewell Cake Slices at Sainsbury’s soared from £1.38 to £2.75, an increase of 99%.
At Asda, a 1kg Lancashire Farm Natural Yogurt and 1kg Lancashire Farm Fat Free Natural Yogurt surged from £1 to £1.80 – a hike of 80% – while 180g Pilgrims Choice Extra Mature Grated Cheddar and 150g Pilgrims Choice Sliced Extra Mature Cheddarboth at Morrisons went from £1.20 to £2.11, a hike of 76%,
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Despite, the eye-watering price rises, Which? found that branded groceries experienced a lower rate of year-on-year inflation compared to own-brand and budget ranges.
Which? Head of Food Policy Sue Davies said: “With food prices expected to remain high for the rest of the year, Which? is calling on supermarkets to ensure expensive convenience stores are stocked with a range of budget items that support a healthy diet – and setting key tests that they can work towards to show they are willing to make a meaningful difference for their customers most in need”.
Which? found that food inflation had dropped in recent months, falling to 14.9% in the four weeks to 9 July, compared to 16.5% the month before.
However, looking back two years ago, prices had surged 25.6% in the three months to the end of July 2023 compared with the same period in 2021.
The retailer found that basic food costs including cheese, butter and bread had surged more than 30% in the last two years.
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