Food inflation surges to a record 12.4%

FOOD inflation has surged to 12.4% to hit a new record amid predictions of dampened Christmas cheer and an “increasingly bleak” winter. Overall shop prices are now 7.4% higher than last November, up from 6.6% in October, to set another record since British Retail Consortium records began in 2005. But food inflation accelerated to 12.4% from October’s 11.6% – also the highest rate on record – as rocketing energy, animal feed and transport costs forced up prices.