Everyday family meals have increased by over a quarter in the last 12 months as some essential ingredients double in price, Which? has found.
The consumer watchdog has revealed that meals such as pasta bake, fish fingers, chips and beans, and homemade spaghetti bolognese are among the dishes that have hiked 27% over the course of the year.
Having analysed the prices of almost 26,000 food and drink products across Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose, Which? found a pasta bake for four cost 27% more to make at £3.39 in the three months to the end of May, in comparison to the same period in 2022.
For fish fingers with chips and beans, the overall price went from £3.06 to £3.79 – an increase of 24%.
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Baked beans jumped 36% in price while and frozen chips have seen an average increase of 23%.
When considering the cost of a homemade spaghetti bolognese, certain items such as beef mince have seen particular price spikes, with Tesco’s own-label beef mince 4% fat up 59% to £4.60.
This comes as the consumer watchdog’s tracker shows that own-label budget goods show no sign of slowing down, soaring from 25% in April to 26.6% in May.
“The cost of food during this period of economic uncertainty has turned the pleasure of mealtimes with loved ones into a nightmare for the millions that are struggling to afford food,” Which? head of food policy, Sue Davies, said.
“Supermarkets must put their customers first by stocking budget lines in all of their stores, including convenience stores, to ensure easy access to basic, affordable food ranges as well as provide transparent pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value.”
