The real cost of the food in your trolley
Next time you wander around the supermarket just take a second to think how much those apples were last year, was that pasta really that expensive last time you looked and try to get a feel for the changes over the last year. If you have a good memory you will be astounded!
As we have covered on the site recently, food inflation is currently running at around 10% although the increase in the current year to date has today been confirmed at around 8.3% (which should top the 10% mark by the end of the year). But what about individual items?
A report by the BBC has found that the cost of meat and fish has increased by 22.9% since the start of the year, fresh fruit and vegetables by 14.7%, Bolognese pasts by 46%, ham by 45%, chicken by around 42% and mayonnaise by 40%. This is primarily the impact of the rise in fuel costs which has had a knock on affect across the sector but where are the reductions now that the price of oil has fallen sharply?
There should really be an investigation into the pricing of such goods as the consumer seems to be getting a very raw deal. Will the government be brave enough?
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