Which?'s food and drink inflation tracker has recorded a
significant increase in supermarket grocery inflation for the
first time in 20 months - with the cost of some products rising
dramatically ahead of the festive period.
Which?'s latest tracker found overall grocery inflation rose by
3.6 per cent in the year to November 2024. This marks a
significant jump since the previous round of results in August,
when food inflation was at 2.7 per cent.
The last time the tracker showed an increase in food and drink
inflation was in March 2023, when it hit a peak of 17.2 per cent
during the cost of living crisis. Since then, the rate of
inflation had been slowly falling.
After the Budget in October, supermarkets and the British Retail
Consortium warned that higher living wages and National Insurance
contributions could lead to higher prices for shoppers. Which?'s
tracker shows food inflation has already been rising and the
consumer champion will continue to monitor grocery inflation to
see if this continues after National Insurance contributions rise
in April 2025.
In some of the worst examples of inflation, the consumer champion
found that the price of some everyday items increased
dramatically.
The cost of Aldi's Acti Leaf Unsweetened UHT Soya Drink (1 litre)
rose by 70 per cent from an average 50p in the three months to
November 2023 to 85p in the same period a year later and Lidl's
Crownfield Swiss Style Classic Muesli (1100g) rose by 51 per cent
from £1.45 to £2.19. The cost of Waitrose's Essential Pure Orange
Juice (1 litre) rose from an average £1.20 in three months to
November 2023 to £1.80 a year later - a rise of 50 per cent.
Some popular Christmas items also saw significant price hikes
this year - although supermarkets often run promotions over the
festive season.
Chocolate saw particularly high inflation - 12.4 per cent in the
year to November 2024 - the highest across all the food and drink
categories Which? looked at. A significant rise in global cocoa
prices has been attributed to poor harvests because of weather
conditions in West Africa.
At Ocado, a Cadbury Milk Tray Chocolate Box (360g) rose by 120
per cent from £2.63 on average in November 2023 to £5.78 in
November 2024 and at Morrisons, a Cadbury Chocolate Xmas Santa
Selection Box Medium (125g) increased by 83 per cent from £1.50
to £2.75 on average.
Other festive items which saw above-inflation price hikes
included Fox's Classic Biscuit Selection (550g) at Ocado which
increased by 52 per cent from an average £3.27 to £4.97 in the
one month period to the end of November in 2024 compared to the
same period a year earlier.
With prices significantly higher than before the cost of living
crisis and Christmas fast-approaching, many households will
likely still struggle to afford the weekly shop and will be
concerned that prices have risen again.
When shopping for everyday essentials and Christmas staples,
consumers should shop around and compare the price per unit
(either 100g or 100ml for example) across different pack sizes,
retailers and brands to ensure they get the best value for money.
More broadly, supermarkets continue to have an important role to
play in supporting consumers to make affordable choices -
including in pricier convenience stores.
Certain groups of people are excluded from accessing lower
loyalty prices at major supermarkets on the basis of their age,
lack of address or digital access. The consumer champion believes
the lower prices offered by loyalty schemes should be available
to those who are ineligible to sign up through no fault of their
own, and so is calling on retailers to find a solution to this
issue.
Sue Davies, Which? Head of Food Policy, said:
“With Christmas fast approaching, many households will
understandably be concerned to hear that food inflation has risen
for the first time in more than 18 months.
“To ensure you get the best value for money on everyday
essentials and Christmas items, shop around and compare the price
per unit across different pack sizes, retailers and brands.
“Supermarkets still have an important role to play in supporting
consumers to make affordable choices, including by making sure no
consumers are unfairly excluded from loyalty schemes.”
Notes to editors
Food and drink inflation tracker
Which?'s tracker looks at 20 popular categories of food and drink
at eight supermarkets — Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado,
Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
It compares average prices across the same three-month and
one-month periods year-on-year, including discounts but not
multibuys or loyalty card offers.
Overall inflation figures are weighted based on supermarket
market share and the sales volume of each product category.
Prices are provided by an independent data provider and include
regular discounts but not multibuys or loyalty prices.
Find out more: Which? food price inflation
tracker
Right of replies
Which? sent right of replies to supermarkets on individual
product prices - these were one month averages to the end of
November 2023 and 2024 for festive products and three month
averages to the end of November 2023 and 2024 for everyday
products.
Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons and Ocado had not commented at the
time of publication.
A Waitrose spokesperson said: "All retailers have seen
external factors impacting the price of orange juice, but we're
working with our suppliers to keep prices low.” Waitrose also
said it had a number of multibuy offers where customers could
make savings.
