Put more fruit and veg in trolley to beat inflation, shoppers urged

FRESH fruit, vegetables and chocolate are rising in price much slower than the rate of inflation, a consumer group has found as it advised shoppers to consider changing what they put in their basket to beat the cost of living crisis.

Which? has identified a range of inflation-busting groceries which include chocolate, which has risen in price by 1.4 per cent in the last two years, fresh fruit (1.6 per cent), biscuits (1.8 per cent) and vegetables (1.9 per cent) – a far slower increase than the current 9 per cent rate of inflation.

Across 20 grocery categories, fizzy drinks saw the biggest average price rise at 5.9 per cent, followed by butter (4.9 per cent) and milk (4.6 per cent).

However, the Which? study found 265 items now cost at least 20 per cent more than in 2020, including favourites such as Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut cereal and Cathedral City cheese.

According to separate research by Trolley, a supermarket comparison website, a small number of products became cheaper in the past year. The price of mackerel has fallen by 7.3 per cent in the last year, while sweet chilli sauce costs 6 per cent less and tuna chunks are 2.6 per cent cheaper. This has raised the prospect of shoppers changing their spending habits in order to purchase fewer expensive items.

Other items to fall in price are air fresheners, which are 4.1 per cent cheaper than a year ago, chocolate oranges, which have fallen in price by 4.4 per cent, and cleaning sprays, which cost 5.3 per cent less.

Which? said budget own-brand items were out of stock three times more often than they were in 2020, with cheese the worst affected. However, some supermarkets had locked in the prices of certain products to mitigate inflation. The report also said supermarkets had offered fewer discounts and promotions for popular-selling groceries. It also said manufacturers had cut product sizes while charging the same price in a process called “shrinkflation”.

A multipack of Walkers classic variety crisps was cut from 24 bags to 22 at Tesco, Asda, and Morrisons last autumn, but its price stayed the same.

Similarly, Nescafé Azera Americano decaf instant coffee shrank from 100g to 90g in Tesco in February while its price remained at £5.49. “That is an effective price increase of 11 per cent per 100g,” Which? said.

The Which? analysis compared more than 21,000 groceries between December 2021 and February this year to their equivalent two years prior.

Sue Davies, of Which?, criticised supermarkets for “inconsistent” and “confusing” pricing, urging retailers to be “more upfront” about prices and provide clear unit pricing – such as cost per 100g or 100ml – while ensuring budget items are readily available.

“During an unrelenting cost of living crisis, consumers should be able to easily choose the best value product for them without worrying about shrinkflation or whether their local store stocks budget ranges,” she said.