The rising cost of cheapest items on supermarket shelves
Pasta and vegetable oil prices have soared by nearly two-thirds, while tea costs close to 50% more than it did a year ago.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said the cost of some of the cheapest food in supermarkets has risen by nearly two-thirds in the last year, heaping extra pressure on struggling households.
Prices have risen across the board, but the ONS has collected 1.5 million prices over the last year to track changes to the cheapest available items on a supermarket’s website.
It gives a snapshot of the extra costs faced by households who are shopping on a budget.
Price changes between September 2021 and September 2022
Vegetable oil: 65.2%Pasta: 59.9%Tea: 46%Chips: 38.7%Bread: 37.6%Biscuits: 34.4%Mixed frozen vegetables: 31.9%Milk: 29.4%Crisps: 23.7%Tomatoes: 19.3%Instant coffee: 18.8%Sausages: 18.3%Onions: 18%Apples: 17.2%Baked beans: 16.2%Potatoes: 13.2%Fish Fingers: 13.1%Tomato ketchup: 12.1%Breakfast cereal: 10.6%Cheese: 10.4%Chicken breast: 10.1%Ham: 9.9%Bananas: 7%Fruit squash: 6.7%Yoghurt: 6.6%Pizza: 3.2%Rice: -0.2%Granulated sugar: -0.3%Beef mince: -7.4%Fruit juice orange: -8.9%