How much have food prices gone up by - and how can you keep costs down?

Every time you go to the supermarket, the contents of your trolley seem more expensive than they were a week earlier. But how do prices compare to before the cost-of-living crisis began?

Well, the answer is quite alarming.

According to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), food prices are set to be 50% higher by November 2026 than they were in mid-2021. 

This means that in just over five years, we’ll have seen the amount of price growth we saw in the previous 20.

What food items have seen the biggest rises?

A huge number of household staples have surged significantly in price in the last five years, including:

• pasta: +50%
• frozen vegetables: +55%
• chocolate: +58%
• eggs: +59%
• beef: +64%
• olive oil: +113% 

The ECIU believes the huge increase is down to three key factors:

• global supply disruptions
• continued exposure to volatile oil and gas markets
• extreme weather driven by climate change

And that’s prompted the ECIU to say more needs to be done to ease the world off fossil fuels.

“Unless we get to net zero emissions to stop climate change and bring balance to the system, food prices will spiral ever further,” said Chris Jaccarini of the ECIU.

“Net zero also means burning less oil and gas, so insulating our food system from the kind of price spikes we’ve been seeing since Russian invaded Ukraine.”

How to cut the cost of your food shop

Of course, there’s not much we can do about geopolitical problems, global energy markets and the world’s changing climate.

But there are a few ways to get more for your money in the supermarket, which could make a big difference at a time when costs across the board are going up.

Shop around

If you typically go to the same supermarket every week, look at whether better deals could be available in other stores.

Budget for your food shop

Make sure you know your income and outgoings, so you can work out exactly how much you can afford to spend in the supermarket each week.

Check our guide to how to create a budget to get started.

Write a shopping list

Plan what meals you’re going to eat before you head to the shops and write down what ingredients you’ll need.

By having everything on a list, you’ll be less likely to pick up items you don’t need or end up throwing food out.

Buy low-cost, versatile ingredients

You can make your grocery shop go a bit further if you base your meals around relatively cheap ingredients that can be used in different ways, such as rice, frozen veg and tinned tomatoes.

Check out our list of 12 ingredients you need in your kitchen.

Understand food labels

How many of us have chucked food away just because of the date written on the packaging? 

People often spend loads in the supermarket because they often throw out perfectly good food at home.

And that’s often because they don’t understand what use-by, best before and sell-by dates really mean.

So make sure you know what these labels are telling you when you’re deciding what you need to buy.

Swap ingredients for cheaper alternatives

If one important ingredient seems particularly expensive, see if you can replace it with something cheaper.

For example, tinned tomatoes are a great budget-friendly alternative to branded pasta sauce, and they’re healthier too.

Check our regular money saving tips

Check back here regularly for our round-ups of standout deals and low-cost recipes that can save you money in the supermarket.

We’ve also got more tips on how you can keep the cost of your food shop down.