See how prices are changing with this new price comparison tool
The Office for National Statistics launch new online data tool which shows how food prices have changed over time
We are always looking for ways in which to compare and contrast prices to enable us to get the best deals onb our supermarket shop.
The new shopping prices comparison tool from the Office for National Statistics allows users to select and track how the average prices of more than 450 individual items in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) consumer prices basket have changed over time, including items from bananas to nursery fees.
At a time when 95 per cent of the items included in the tool have seen their price increase in the past year to March 2023, the tool helps increase the accessibility of existing ONS data to allow users to track price trends.
As well as showing average price changes on an item-by-item basis, the tool also lets you create your own bespoke basket of items and tot-up the total average price change across these items.
The tool shows how the prices of individual items in a range of good and services across the following mix of categories have changed in the last year:
- food and drink
- clothing and footwear - food and drink establishments
- health
The average prices are calculated using the price quotes gathered as part of the consumer prices monthly price collection.
The number of price quotes collected per item will differ and may not reflect the average of all prices possible for each item in the basket.
The sample of prices, collected as part of the consumer prices monthly price collection, is designed to best capture price change, not price levels, which are presented in the interactive.
Also, average prices will only be published for most items that appear in both the published item indices and price quotes.
Some items have been removed because of volatile trends or because of the price collection method of the item. This is to ensure the average prices for items
are clear to understand.
The average price estimates presented are experimental and, because the data is more granular, price movements are based on smaller sample sizes than in our consumer price inflation tables.
For example, a roast dinner for four people, including a whole chicken (1.5 kilograms (kg)), white potatoes (1kg), carrots (1 kg), broccoli (350 grams
(g)) and butter (100g), could cost £8.68 on average in March 2023, based on a 2023 sample.
This is £1.68 more than in March 2022, with broccoli recording the highest increase at 34 per cent.
Some grocery items showed increases of more than 40 per cent in the year to March 2023
Food and drink items saw an increase in the past year,
where the annual growth rate for the official measure of groceries was 19 per cent for the year to March 2023. And over the year to March 2023, 60 grocery items in the shopping price comparison tool saw prices rise by 20 per cent or more, including five items that rose by 40
per cent and over. The comparison site shows items with the largest average price increases seen in each category in March 2023 and allows you to compare.
Visit www.ons.gov.uk website and put Shopping prices comparison tool in the website’s search bar.