Xmas biscuit prices hiked due to butter shortage

CHRISTMAS wouldn’t be complete without a biscuit selection box or a family-sized pack of shortbread.

But the price of your festive treats has soared this year due to a national butter shortage.

All five of the biggest supermarkets have increased shelf prices on festive lines compared to last year.

Among the products hit are Waitrose’s Christmas Chocolate Shortcake Selection ( 8 g), up from £4 last year to £ .

Meanwhile Tesco’s Novelty Shortbread Tin (2 0g) is now 20 per cent more expensive at £ , with Sainsbury’s Scottish Shortbread Selection (600g) also up 20 per cent to £6.

Asda and Morrisons have also seen price increases of 33 and 23 per cent respectively, according to the analysis by Brand View for The Grocer. It follows increases on own-brand biscuits over the past year.

A source at a biscuit maker told The Grocer the price rises were ‘inevitable given the cost of butter’. The rise in butter prices is due to a global fall in milk production combined with a rise in demand. A collapse in dairy prices in 2016 saw many small dairy farmers sell up.

Consequently, there was not enough milk when demand picked up again. Waitrose said its prices were still ‘competitive’. Sainsbury’s said costs were ‘determined by a number of factors, and prices can fluctuate as a consequence’.