Gin in a tin is in for 2020!
In spirit of our age, now cans of G&T and fake tan are in nation’s shopping basket
GIN in a tin and fake tan have been added to the nation’s official shopping basket which is used to assess inflation.
The changes, made by the Office for National Statistics, reflects the changing lifestyles of millions of Britons.
And they point to the rise of the Love Island and Instagram generation who have been driving a cultural change.
But it is not just the young who are tapping in to the idea of cocktails in a tin. They have been a popular addition to the picnics of Middle Britain and Labour’s Diane Abbott was famously pictured with a £2 M&S mojito in a can on the London Overground.
Overall, the ONS added 14 items to the basket and removed 16 while leaving 702 unchanged.
The change in the price of the basket each month is used to calculate the consumer price index measure of inflation.
Also added this year are reusable bottles and mugs, which reflects environmental concerns.
Other additions include healthy minced turkey and vegetable crisps, along with gluten-free cereals and crumpets.
On their way out are frozen imported legs of lamb as supermarkets turn to British farm produce. And Mr Kipling’s individual fruit pies have also got the chop.
The ONS said: ‘The inclusion of the reusable bottle/mug reflects environmental concerns to move away from single-use plastic. Vegetable crisps are added for the first time as we see a trend towards healthier eating while self-tanning products are also a first-time addition due to their increasing popularity.
‘The inclusion of gluten-free cereal expands coverage in the basket of “free from” products and reflects the increasing amount of consumer spending and shelf space allocated to these ranges. We still like a tipple though, as the addition of a “cocktail in a can” reflects the growing number of brands introducing spirit mixes to their product ranges.’
Personal finance analyst at investment platform AJ Bell, Laura Suter, said: ‘The items cherry picked for inclusion in the Government’s inflation basket are a great way of seeing how trends change over the years.’