Price of daily food essentials rises almost £5.50 in just over a year

In February 2022, I went to Tesco to buy nine household items that would be included in a weekly food shop, amid the cost of living hike. 

I bought items like milk, cheese, butter, bread, and eggs to compare how much the prices would rise over the coming months. 

In October, I bought the same nine items again, with the price having risen by £2.66. 

On Friday, June 2, I visited Tesco again to buy the items to compare the prices from February 2022 to June 2023. 

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Two pints of milk: February 2022 - £0.89, June 2023 - £1.25. An increase of 36p.

Kingsmill 50/50 loaf: February 2022 - £0.85, June 2023 - £1.35. An increase of 50p. 

Six eggs: February 2022 - £0.79, June 2023 - £1.80. An increase of £1.01. 

Butter: February 2022 - £0.85, June 2023 - £2.19. An increase of £1.34. 

Cheese: February 2022 - £1.79, June 2023 - £2.79. An increase of £1. 

The nine items (Image: Newsquest)

Baked Beans: February 2022 - £0.70, June 2023 - £1. An increase of 30p. 

Penne pasta: February 2022 - £0.29, June 2023 - £0.41. An increase of 12p. 

Toilet roll: February 2022 - £1.29, June 2023 - £1.79. An increase of 50p. 

Washing up liquid: February 2022 - £0.38, June 2023 - £0.65. An increase of 27p. 

Total: February 2022 - £7.83, June 2023 - £13.23. An increase of £5.40. 

I was staggered by the increase in price over the 16 months. 

While the cost of living crisis has been well documented, as has the inflation rates in supermarkets, an increase of £5.40 for nine items is worrying. 

This is nowhere near a full shop and outlines why the demand for foodbanks is currently so high.