Supermarket staples soar in price by up to 146pc

Foods including Mr Kipling Cakes, Heinz Spaghetti Hoops and Birds Eye potato waffles have soared by up to 146 per cent in the past year, according to the latest supermarket price watch.

While chains are keeping many popular products on special promotions, others are no longer on such schemes, hitting consumers in the pocket as their shelf price rockets.

The latest Grocer 33, in which the trade magazine looks at 33 best-selling food and drink products, shows that the biggest annual hike has been for Mr Kipling Angel Slices.

This time last year, an eight pack of the cakes was as little as £1.42 as Asda but now costs £3.50 – a rise of 146 per cent. Sainsbury’s now charges £3.45 for a pack, 138 per cent more than the £1.45 it was charging 12 months ago.

Birds Eye potato waffles at Morrisons have gone up 57 per cent, from £1.50 to £2.35, and Heinz Spaghetti Hoops are up 59 per cent at Waitrose from 37p to £1.00, which includes a 25p off price promotion.

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Of the 33 products ranging from own label milk to PG Tips teabags, a third are on special offer so that, collectively, the overall price of the shopping basket of goods has gone up 13.3 per cent over the past year compared to a general grocery inflation rate of 17.1 per cent.

But budget-conscious shoppers may have to go to more than one store and be selective in what they buy to avoid high checkout bills.

Ben’s Original Rice, Philadelphia soft cheese and Surf laundry detergent all cost less now than they did 12 months ago for those taking advantage of current special deals at supermarkets that match each other’s prices to attract shoppers.

The Grocer said: “With one-third of items on promotion, it’s perhaps not surprising that the 13.3 per cent annual inflation on this week’s Grocer 33 basket was again below the overall rate (17.1 per cent), but some of the price hikes were eye-watering.”