'I repeated my Tesco big shop from 12 months ago - one item is up 75 per cent despite having shrunk'
24.06.2023 - 08:35
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Sky high food prices are nothing new, but with bills still on the rise, shoppers are wondering whether it will ever end.
If it seems like we've been in this mess for a long time, that's because we have.
The cost of living crisis began at the back end of 2021, so for many people they've seen their bills soar over the last 18 months.
It was reported this week that the pace of food prices fell slightly in May, but they are still on the rise.
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And despite hopes of a fall, the UK inflation rate stayed at 8.7%, stopping the downward trend since its 11.1% peak last year.
To get a clearer picture of what products have risen the most, I repeated my Tesco big shop from last year, buying exactly the same 58 items I purchased in June 2022.
I knew that many of the products would have risen, but I was staggered to discover that 78% of what I bought had gone up.
In total, 45 of the 58 items had risen, 13 of them by more than 30% and one of them by a staggering 75%. Not only that but it had shrunk too.
I can't argue that a box of Quality Street is an essential, I think I bought it last year as a teacher gift, but still, the rise from last year's £2 Clubcard price to this year's £3.50 is pretty shocking, especially when you factor in it's now a 220g box instead of 232g.
If teachers see a distinct lack of chocolate among their gifts this year, they'll no doubt know why.
It's the confectionery that dominates as far as price rises are concerned. Cadbury's Wispa Gold bars up from 98p to £1.50 for a four-pack and Cadbury Caramilk up from 98p to £1.35, among the other examples.
I'm probably not the only one who's cut back on these sorts of products since the crisis began. I