The figures, published by mysupermarket.co.uk and based on food shopping for a family of four at Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's, reveal that a family who spent an average of £100 per week in August 2007 would now have to spend £127 to buy the same items, an increase of £1,404 year on year.
The biggest price increases are for dairy and wheat based products. Figures from mysupermarket.co.uk reveal that a loaf of sliced white bread from Tesco has increased from 48 pence to 72 pence in one year and a 250 gram packet of butter from Asda has increased from 56 to 94 pence. Sainsbury's is currently selling a dozen medium free-range eggs for £2.58, an increase of 47 per cent since August 2007, when the price was £1.75.
The rise in the cost of food has coincided with huge increases in the cost of fuel and basic utilities, with energy companies such as British Gas announcing price increases of up to 35 per cent for domestic customers.
These price rises pushed the annual inflation rate to a 16-year-high to 4.4% last month.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, the public services union, said, ‘This rise just confirms what our members have been telling us for months - that they are facing unparalleled hikes in the cost of basics like milk, bread, cheese, petrol, gas and electricity.
‘The Government's unjust public sector pay policy means that teaching assistants, nurses, librarians, care workers, home carers, nursery staff and hospital cleaners are having to cope with the biggest rise in inflation since records began, on a real pay cut.'
