The cost of some branded food products has more than doubled over the past year, according to Which?
The consumer rights firm examined the costs of nearly 26,000 groceries across Asda, Aldi, Morrisons, Lidl, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Tesco.
The branded item with the highest price rise was Tesco’s Mr Kipling Chocolate Slices (6 pack), which had risen from £1.16 on average during the three months to the end of July last year to £2.66 during the same period in 2023.
Similarly, Mr Kipling Bakewell Cake Slices (6 pack) at Sainsbury’s soared from £1.38 to £2.75, an increase of £1.37 or 99%.
At Asda, a branded yoghurt saw the worst year-on-year inflation. Lancashire Farm Natural Yogurt (1kg) and Lancashire Farm Fat Free Natural Yogurt (1kg) going from £1 to £1.80 – a hike of 80%.
At Morrisons, Pilgrims Choice Extra Mature Grated Cheddar (180g) and Pilgrims Choice Sliced Extra Mature Cheddar (150g) both went from £1.20 to £2.11, a hike of 76%.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
Which? found branded groceries experienced a lower rate of year-on-year inflation compared to own-brand and budget ranges.
Head of food policy Sue Davies said: “With food prices expected to remain high for the rest of the year, Which? is calling on supermarkets to ensure expensive convenience stores are stocked with a range of budget items that support a healthy diet – and setting key tests that they can work towards to show they are willing to make a meaningful difference for their customers most in need”.
The news comes after the company recently reported food inflation had dropped in recent months, falling to 14.9% in the four weeks to 9 July, compared to 16.5% the month before.
Despite this, it revealed basic food costs including cheese, butter and bread had surged more than 30% in the last two years.
