New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have reported that overall, the price of budget food in supermarkets rose by 17% in the year to September. 

The news comes at a time when UK inflation is at a 40-year high, with prices up 10.1% over the last year.

Along with energy bills and transport costs, food prices were a substantial contributor to the latest rise in living costs in September.

The ONS report points to increases in the price of various household staples. For example, pasta prices rose by 60% in the year to September 2022, while tea prices went up by nearly 50% and vegetable oil up by 65%. Other items such as chips, biscuits, bread and milk also recorded substantial increases. However, some items fell in price during the period, including beef mince and orange juice.

The ONS data measures the change in price of 30 ‘everyday grocery items’ across seven supermarkets. As has been widely reported, the rise in the cost of various groceries has been accelerated by the war in Ukraine, particularly grain, oil and fertiliser supplies from the country.

The chief executive of the UK Statistics Authority, Prof Sir Ian Diamond, told the BBC in an interview: “What we are seeing is that the price of low-cost goods is going up at the same rate as general food with some highlights such as cooking oil and pasta, I would add tea, chips and bread to that and very few things going down at all.

“We are really seeing that the squeeze on people who buy the lowest cost things is pretty hard at the moment.”