Cost of living: Price of pasta doubles in the last two years as cost of everyday essentials soars

The price of pasta in supermarkets has doubled over the last two years, research suggests.
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A standard 500g bag of pasta is now 95p, compared to 50p two years ago, according to research conducted by BBC. Figures suggest that UK inflation may have peaked at 11.1% in October last year, but the rate of food price rises is still running at 16.7%, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

The research also showed a basket of “grocery essentials” including oven chips, pasta sauce, strawberry jam and potatoes now costs £21, compared to £15 in 2021. Changes in the average cost of food items at Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s were tracked by the retail research firm Assosia.

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The price of strawberry jam has gone up from 73p to £1.15, an increase of 57%, while oven chips are up from £1.24 to £1.80, a rise of 45%. Other basic items which have seen a hike in prices due to inflation include butter, milk, gravy, cheese and milk.

According to Which, the tracking watchdog, milk was 26.3% more expensive than the previous year, while cheese has seen an increase of 22.3%. Supermarket Tesco has acknowledged the inflationary prices hitting food and has said it is “absolutely committed to helping our customers by keeping a laser focus on the cost of the weekly shop”.

The price of pasta has doubled in the last two years as the cost of everyday essentials soars The price of pasta has doubled in the last two years as the cost of everyday essentials soars
The price of pasta has doubled in the last two years as the cost of everyday essentials soars

The latest update on food prices comes after supermarkets started rationing fruits and vegetables following a nationwide shortage. The shortages are due to cold weather affecting suppliers in Spain and Morocco.