iStockStruggling households are shelling out up to two-thirds more on basic foodstuffs such as bread, pasta and tea amid the cost of living crisis.
The cheapest produce in UK supermarkets has risen by almost two-thirds in some cases according to food inflation analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The rises, coming against the backdrop of economic uncertainty and soaring energy bills, risk pushing more families into poverty, campaigners have warned.
ONS data found the price of the least-expensive pasta increased by 60% in the last year, while vegetable oil hit 65% over the usual cost.
The report also found the cheapest tea had risen in price by 46%, chips rose 39%, bread was up 38% and biscuits up 34%.
A bag of mixed frozen vegetables increased by almost 32%, while fresh tomatoes rose by over 19%, onions 18% and bananas 7%.
ONS statisticians collated more than a million prices from major UK supermarket shelves as part of the analysis.
Sir Ian Diamond, one of the lead researchers on the report, said the data was key in understanding how the rising cost of living was impacting affected households.
“While the recent spike in inflation began with energy prices, today’s fresh insights using a new innovative data source show they are now filtering through to other important items, with the cheapest price of some staple food items rising by around two-thirds in the last year,” he added.
Few items decreased in price, however orange juice dropped 9%, and minced beef was down 7%.
Packets of rice also fell by around 0.2%, while granulated sugar dropped 0.3%.
Key price changes between September 2021 and September 2022
Up
Vegetable oil: 65.2%
Pasta: 59.9%
Tea: 46%
Chips: 38.7%
Bread: 37.6%
Biscuits: 34.4%
Mixed frozen vegetables: 31.9%
Milk: 29.4%
Crisps: 23.7%
Instant coffee: 18.8%
Apples: 17.2%
Baked beans: 16.2%
Potatoes: 13.2%
Breakfast cereal: 10.6%
Cheese: 10.4%
Chicken breast: 10.1%
Bananas: 7%
Pizza: 3.2%
Down
Rice: -0.2%
Granulated sugar: -0.3%
Beef mince: -7.4%
Orange fruit juice: -8.9%
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