Families face forking out extra £271 on food shop

FOOD price inflation is running at its highest level for over a decade – adding £271 to annual grocery bills – with more rises to come.

The cost of groceries showed an annual increase of 5.9 per cent in April, which is the biggest leap since December 2011.

The figures come from retail analysts Kantar who said people are buying less food from retailers compared with before the pandemic, and they are switching to budget chains, Aldi and Lidl, as well as cheaper own-label foods as they struggle to make ends meet.

A separate study published today by Which? found six in ten people have made changes to their lifestyle and finances to cope with the cost of living crisis. Most common of these was cutting back on essentials such as groceries, school supplies and medicines, with four in ten (39 per cent) people saying they have done this to make ends meet.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: ‘The average household will now be exposed to a potential price increase of £271 per year. A lot of this is going on nondiscretionary, everyday essentials which will prove difficult to cut back on.’