Food inflation rose to its highest figure in almost a year this month as everyday essentials were hit by price rises, new data shows.

According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-NIQ Shop Price Index for the week to 7 April 2025, food inflation increased to 2.5% year-on-year – its highest level in 11 months.

Fresh food inflation also increased to 2.6% year on year in April as everyday essentials including bread, meat and fish saw proce rises on the month.

Meanwhile, ambient food inflation was unchanged at 3.7%, above the three-month average of 3.4%, and shop price inflation increased to -0.1% over the period.

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BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said that the days of shop price deflation “look numbered” as food inflation soared.

“This comes in the same month retailers face a mountain of new employment costs in the form of higher employer National Insurance Contributions and increased NLW,” she explained.

“Despite price competition heating up, retailers are unable to absorb the total impact of these £5bn of employment costs and the additional £2bn costs when the new packaging tax comes into effect in October. It is crucial that poor implementation of the upcoming Employment Rights Bill does not add further pressure to costs – pushing prices further up, and job numbers further down.”

NIQ head of retailer and business insight Mike Watkins added: “Shoppers continue to benefit from lower shop price inflation than a year ago, but prices are slowly rising across supply chains, so retailers will be looking at ways to mitigate this as far as possible. And whilst we expect consumers to remain cautious on discretionary spend, the late Easter will have helped to stimulate sales.”