Average annual UK food bill set to rise 454 pounds as inflation soars

UK grocery inflation hit 9.9% in the four weeks to July 10, adding 454 pounds ($543.7) to Britons’ annual bills amid a worsening cost of living crisis, industry data showed on Tuesday.

Market researcher Kantar said the inflation rate was the second highest it has seen since it started tracking supermarket prices in this way in 2008.

“We’re likely to surpass the previous high come August,” warned Fraser McKevitt, Kantar’s head of retail and consumer insight.

The researcher said prices are rising fastest in markets such as dog food, butter and milk.

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Kantar said sales on a value basis rose 0.1% at market leader Tesco over the 12 weeks to July 10, but fell at Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons as shoppers switched to German-owned discounters Aldi and Lidl.

Lidl was Britain’s fastest growing grocer over the 12 weeks with sales up 13.9%, while Aldi’s were up 11.3%.

Both hit record market shares, with Lidl at 7.0% and Aldi at 9.1% – just 0.3% below Morrisons, Britain’s No. 4 grocer.

“Over 67% of people in Britain shopped in either an Aldi or a Lidl in the past 12 weeks, with 1.4 million additional households visiting at least one of the discounters in the latest three months compared with last year,” said McKevitt.