FDF response to November inflation figures

Karen Betts, Chief Executive, The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), said:

“It's good to see food inflation starting to fall, not least as shoppers fill their cupboards for the festive season. Nonetheless, food prices remain higher this Christmas than last and many consumers are having to make tough choices about what they buy this year. Manufacturers continue to work hard to cut costs and pass any potential savings on to consumers, but themselves continue to face significant cost pressures. To really impact this persistent food inflation, we need Government to redouble efforts with food businesses to reduce costs, like energy, and boost growth and productivity to bring down prices in the coming weeks and months across the food and drink supply chain.”

Background

• By category, we have seen a mixed performance. The ONS reported on 48 main categories this month, of which 26 saw inflation slowing, with inflation rising for the other 22 categories. 
• Prices rose the fastest for beef and veal (27.7%), chocolate (17.3%), whole milk (14.8%) and coffee (14.5%).
• Prices fell for nine categories, with the largest drops for: olive oil (-16.2%), flours (-6.1%), pasta (-4.2%) and sugar (-4.0%).