FAMILIES already struggling to make ends meet are being hit by soaring food prices. Figures yesterday revealed that costs have rocketed by 12 per cent in the last year alone, with the nation’s weekly shopping bill £15 higher than two years ago.
The cost of a weekly shop has also jumped by more than two and a half times the rate of inflation in the past year. Worryingly, food prices are going up at a time when households are facing crippling rises in energy bills and mortgage payments, with the threat of council tax increases in the spring.
The price of a basket of 24 basic grocery items has risen by 12.1 per cent – or nearly £3 – across the three major supermarkets during the past year, according to the price comparison website mysupermarket.co.uk.
The latest data from a countrywide survey by The Grocer magazine revealed that the average cost of a 100-item trolley of staple products has shot up from £169.65 in January 2006 to £183.28 this week. Record high grain prices and energy bills have forced up the cost of food production but, instead of absorbing them, shops are passing them on.
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http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/33756/Price-of-food-soars-to-all-time-record