Overall food inflation has eased marginally, falling to 17.1% from 17.2% last month. The rate of inflation for branded goods remained at 13.8% in April, according to the data from Which?.

Certain items have risen more in price than others and the price of meat is up 15%, fish rose 16.5%, yoghurts are up 21.8% and vegetables have risen in price by 15.3%.

It comes as the group reported last month that essential budget-range products were hardly ever available at smaller supermarket convenience stores, where those on low-incomes regularly shop.

Prices have risen the most at Lidl, by 24.9% annually, according to Which?’s data. At Aldi, they rose 22.9%, at Morrisons, it was 18.4%, and 17.5% at Asda.

Tesco, which has the biggest market share, saw prices rise 14.5%, just behind the 14.7% price rise at Sainsbury’s.

Yet despite prices rising fastest at Lidl and Aldi, they still remain consistently the cheapest supermarkets, as measured by the group. Aldi has come out top when it comes to price for the last 12 months.

Food products double in price in a year

The consumer group picked out several examples of food products doubling in price since 2022.

They included a 300g pack of Aberdoyle Dairies cottage cheese at Lidl, which rose from 67p to £1.34, a 100.9% increase; Morliny Frankfurters (350g) at Asda, which rose from an average of £1.25 to £2.42, a 93.8% increase; and a four-pack of brown onions at Morrisons which rose from 65p to £1.24, a 90.8% increase.

It also found a 1kg pot of Lancashire Farm bio yoghurt at Morrisons which rose from £1.18 to £2.18, a 85.3% increase; and a 260g pack of own-label salmon which rose to £4.54, from £3, at Tesco, a 51.4% rise.

The group tracks the price of 26,000 products across the eight big supermarkets on a monthly basis.

‘Very alarming’ to see products soaring in price still

It is calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to demand that supermarkets do more to help shoppers.
Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, said: “It’s very alarming to see products such as meat, cheese and vegetables that people rely on still rapidly soaring in price.

“As the Prime Minister gathers supermarket bosses today to discuss the problem of inflation, we urge him to ask supermarkets to commit to do much more. This includes stocking budget lines in convenience stores to ensure easy access to basic, affordable food ranges that support a healthy diet, particularly in areas where people are most in need.

“Supermarkets must also provide transparent pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value.”