Food prices

[davews]

I think Heinz soup was discussed earlier.

At Tesco, Heinz tomato £1.70/tin, Clubcard offer four for £5. Or a prepacked box of 4 for £3.99...

 

[takno]

I noticed when in the Morrisons at Northampton earlier that they have joined the likes of Tesco, Boots & some Co-Ops in having the cheaper meal deal available only if you have a "My Morrisons" card. £3,50 with the card but £4,00 without.

Just a pain as it's another 'loyalty' scheme I will need to sign up for when I have infrequent trips to Morrisons when exploring. (A first world problem)

I largely gave up on Boots and Co-op for food some time ago, so handy to know I'm not welcome back.

 

[dangie]

Using Tesco as an example (I’m sure other retailers are the same) why have food prices increased, but alcohol (beer & lager etc) has not? In my local Tesco I can still buy beer at similar prices than I could 12+ months ago.

 

[takno]

Using Tesco as an example (I’m sure other retailers are the same) why have food prices increased, but alcohol (beer & lager etc) has not? In my local Tesco I can still buy beer at similar prices than I could 12+ months ago.

Prices I pay are still as set by the Scottish government. Assuming that you're in England, a decent proportion of the cost is excise duty, and I don't believe that was increased in line with inflation

 

[johntea]

I was having a browse through Morrisons earlier, it seems £1.29 is the new £0.99 basically (but don't miss out on the fantastic 2 for £2.50 offer!)

Also what on earth are the futuristic looking 'security gates' meant to do at the self checkout exit?! You could in theory just walk back through the self checkout entrance point instead and I doubt anyone would bat an eyelid

 

[takno]

I was having a browse through Morrisons earlier, it seems £1.29 is the new £0.99 basically (but don't miss out on the fantastic 2 for £2.50 offer!)

Also what on earth are the futuristic looking 'security gates' meant to do at the self checkout exit?! You could in theory just walk back through the self checkout entrance point instead and I doubt anyone would bat an eyelid

My local Sainsburys has recently gated the entire (very) open front area from the checkouts to the other end of the store. They aren't actually closing the gates themselves (would be pretty inconvenient with the Argos within the barriers), but I guess if they are suffering from a lot of stock loss then filtering everybody through a much smaller space will make it easier to monitor and slightly scarier for first-time shoplifters.

 

[Mojo]

I’ve noticed the 900g budget cheese has gone up from £3.99 to £4.19 in all the major supermarkets that stock it.

Cheese has now reached the price of £4.80 for the 900g block in the shops.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

The rise in food prices over the past 12 months has been as much as the cumulative increase over the previous 11 years and 4 months.

An extract from a piece in The Sunday Times today.

David Smith

Some statistics still have the capacity to shock, even after all the turbulence of recent years. One such shocker was the latest reading for food inflation. In February, food prices were up 18.3 per cent on a year earlier, which is extraordinary. Add in non-alcoholic beverages (though we all need a drink after figures like that) and the rise was 18 per cent.

Why such a shocker? If I tell you that the rise in food prices over the past 12 months has been as much as the cumulative increase over the previous 11 years and 4 months, you get the idea of the extent to which current food price inflation is off the scale.

I haven't copied the entire piece as it is behind the paywall but this is the link:
The Sunday Times, 2 April 2023

 

[Butts]

The rise in food prices over the past 12 months has been as much as the cumulative increase over the previous 11 years and 4 months.

An extract from a piece in The Sunday Times today.


I haven't copied the entire piece as it is behind the paywall but this is the link:
The Sunday Times, 2 April 2023

You could argue that we have had food too cheap for years and now is payback time ?

More interesting would be who is trousering the increase - producers workers or retailers ?

 

[Tetchytyke]

More interesting would be who is trousering the increase - producers workers or retailers ?

Producers mainly. Four corporations control 90% of the world’s grain supply. They’re doing very well thank you nicely, all under the cover of a “cost of living crisis”. Margins are increasing as a percentage.

 

[route101]

Its not a supermarket but why are Burger King prices relatively expensive for what it is.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Its not a supermarket but why are Burger King prices relatively expensive for what it is.

Hadn't really noticed. Compared to what, exactly?

 

[Snow1964]

The latest inflation figures are out 10.1% overall

Within the overall average is food inflation at 19.1%

For balance price of some items actually fell.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Perhaps I might be confusing matters but it seems strange that looking at the price of basic foods, I see a pop-up on an internet site that states that West Ham want £100 million for Rice.....

 

[Cloud Strife]

Its not a supermarket but why are Burger King prices relatively expensive for what it is.

This has been observed all over Europe: fast food 'known chain' prices have risen really dramatically recently, much more so than other outlets.

 

[Jamesrob637]

This has been observed all over Europe: fast food 'known chain' prices have risen really dramatically recently, much more so than other outlets.

Might as well just go to a proper restaurant now then.

 

[Gloster]

Its not a supermarket but why are Burger King prices relatively expensive for what it is.

But people still think it is cheap. It is so easy to be drawn in by one or two relatively cheap prices and then upgrade. You spend a lot more cash for very little extra. (Not that I have used a fast-food place in this country for years.)

 

[Trackman]

I think Heinz soup was discussed earlier.

At Tesco, Heinz tomato £1.70/tin, Clubcard offer four for £5. Or a prepacked box of 4 for £3.99...

It's been 4 for £5 at Asda for a long time .. I mean years.
This begs the question - why do they not advertise this in-store? or do they?

 

[Snow1964]

Inflation has fallen to 8.7%

but food inflation still about 19%

 

[Gloster]

Inflation has fallen to 8.7%

But food inflation is at 19.1% and the core inflation figure (excluding energy and food) has risen from 6.2% to 6.8%: the fall of the headline rate was due to the drop in energy prices. We should rejoice as the lower fuel prices mean we can stay warm as we starve.

 

[Bald Rick]

Inflation has fallen to 8.7%

but food inflation still about 19%

food inflation is 17.2%

UK food price inflation at third-highest level since 2008

Jeremy Hunt to meet food manufacturers over prices as Kantar says rate is still ‘incredibly high’

www.theguardian.com

 

[341o2]

I believe I have found the record for % increase
At a local farm shop, a box of 6 duck eggs pre inflation £2.75, then £3.25, and now £4.75, which is an increase of 73%

 

[malc-c]

Last week I was both confused and shocked when it came to purchasing milk. As we were consuming more than the normal 2pt I looked at getting a 4pt container. The 2pt cost £1.25, so was expecting to pay around £2.50 mark for the 4pt bottle... nope, £1.55. So that additional 2pt of milk cost me just 30p more. The questions that ran through my brain was that if they were selling 4 pints for £1.55, just 30p more (and still make profit) then at 15p a pint based on the two extra pints, why does a 2pt bottle cost £1.25... Heck, even if you take the full £1.55 for 4 pints that works out at £0.77p for a 2 pint bottle as the price per pint works out to 38.75P !

 

[JamesT]

Last week I was both confused and shocked when it came to purchasing milk. As we were consuming more than the normal 2pt I looked at getting a 4pt container. The 2pt cost £1.25, so was expecting to pay around £2.50 mark for the 4pt bottle... nope, £1.55. So that additional 2pt of milk cost me just 30p more. The questions that ran through my brain was that if they were selling 4 pints for £1.55, just 30p more (and still make profit) then at 15p a pint based on the two extra pints, why does a 2pt bottle cost £1.25... Heck, even if you take the full £1.55 for 4 pints that works out at £0.77p for a 2 pint bottle as the price per pint works out to 38.75P !

That suggests the rest of the cost is essentially per bottle. Filling a bottle, transporting it, stacking it on the shelf is going to cost much the same whether it's a little bottle or a big one.

 

[Bald Rick]

Last week I was both confused and shocked when it came to purchasing milk. As we were consuming more than the normal 2pt I looked at getting a 4pt container. The 2pt cost £1.25, so was expecting to pay around £2.50 mark for the 4pt bottle... nope, £1.55. So that additional 2pt of milk cost me just 30p more. The questions that ran through my brain was that if they were selling 4 pints for £1.55, just 30p more (and still make profit) then at 15p a pint based on the two extra pints, why does a 2pt bottle cost £1.25... Heck, even if you take the full £1.55 for 4 pints that works out at £0.77p for a 2 pint bottle as the price per pint works out to 38.75P !

Firstly you must be shopping in M&S, as that is the price of milk there (Tesco is 10p more expensive across the board, at least in the one I shop in).

Secondly, the costs of production of Milk - or indeed most Pre packed foodstuffs - is not directly proportionate to weight. There is the cost of packaging, transport, handling, and selling it.

Hence why an 800g loaf is only a few pence more than a 400g loaf, 500g of Sainsburys own brand Basmati rice is £1.95 where a kilo is £2.10, Heinz tomato ketchup is £2.30 for 250g, but £3.95 for 910g. And so on ad nauseam.

But no need to be confused and shocked. It has been like this for the last 40 years at least.

 

[Silver Cobra]

There is an element of profiteering by the supermarkets with the smaller bottles of milk (1 and 2 pints). The last time my store received any 1 pint bottles around Christmas time last year (we don't normally sell them), the stock system said that, on the current standard price of 95p, we have around a 60% profit margin, compared to less than 10% on a 4 pint bottle.

 

[brad465]

I don't condone shoplifting, but if it's on the increase due to food as a whole becoming more unaffordable, then, to put it bluntly, the system is broken:

Steak, coffee and cheese locked up as shoplifting rises

Shoplifting offences have returned to pre-pandemic levels as the cost of living soars.

www.bbc.co.uk

Steaks and cheese are being fitted with security tags and coffee replaced with dummy jars, as supermarkets battle to curb a rise in shoplifting.
Some stores are also limiting the number of items on shelves in an attempt to reduce theft.
It comes as data analysed by the BBC showed shoplifting offences had now returned to pre-pandemic levels as the cost of living rises.
Retailers say they are spending heavily on anti-crime measures.
In March, police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland recorded nearly 33,000 incidents of shoplifting according to data analysed by the BBC.
That is a significant 30.9% increase compared with March last year.
The BBC has contacted all the main supermarkets in the UK to ask whether they have put in place extra security measures.

• Coffee and chocolate drive supermarket prices up
• Food price cap will not make a difference - retailers
• Food prices 'worryingly high' as sugar and milk soar

Some, including Waitrose, were unable to comment on matters of security. Others insisted the measures are not being taken nationwide, but have been implemented at individual stores facing high rates of theft.
Photos circulating on social media have shown the range of anti-shoplifting measures being taken at different supermarkets.
One user posted a picture of steaks enclosed in security devices at a Co-op store. "They're packaging steaks like they're gold bars," they wrote.

 

[Iskra]

I don't condone shoplifting, but if it's on the increase due to food as a whole becoming more unaffordable, then, to put it bluntly, the system is broken:

Steak, coffee and cheese locked up as shoplifting rises

Shoplifting offences have returned to pre-pandemic levels as the cost of living soars.

www.bbc.co.uk

This isn’t particularly new and has been going on for 15 years at least.

 

[Butts]

This isn’t particularly new and has been going on for 15 years at least.

Not in Tesco's at least in Falkirk.

I bought some steak amongst other things and used a self-serve checkout only for the beep beep symphony to unfold.

The Girl supervising the area explained it was new procedure and I didn't see any warnings on the product or shelves. Not sure how it is supposed to work as there is no obvious tag akin to those on liquor.

Ironically it only cost £3.80 (Clubcard Offer) and the 300g Jars of Nescafe in the store have no such security measures despite being almost twice the price.

 

[Iskra]

Not in Tesco's at least in Falkirk.

I bought some steak amongst other things and used a self-serve checkout only for the beep beep symphony to unfold.

The Girl supervising the area explained it was new procedure and I didn't see any warnings on the product or shelves. Not sure how it is supposed to work as there is no obvious tag akin to those on liquor.

Ironically it only cost £3.80 (Clubcard Offer) and the 300g Jars of Nescafe in the store have no such security measures despite being almost twice the price.

A while back I used to work in M&S food and we had issues with undesirables wiping out the steak shelves and scarpering,