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The cost-of-living crisis has made it hard for a lot of families who are now struggling to buy food. As the prices go up, we all wish for a time when prices were at their lowest. For example, a magazine that would cost £1.26 back in 1980 would now cost £6.
Today, we will explore the prices of essential food and how they compare to food prices in the last two recessions in 1980 and 2008, with help from statistics from the ONS and the CPI Inflation Calculator.
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Breakfast cereal
We all love to start our day with a bowl of cereal. A 550-gram of Cornflakes today costs £2. But back in 1980, it cost only 42p, 79% of the price it is now. In 2008, the cereal would cost £1.35. It may be only 65p less but it’s a significant change.
Why is it going up? UK Flour Millers believe this is happening because the war in Ukraine has disrupted supply.
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Fruit squash
This one’s for the summer, sort of. A lot of families would love some fruit squash for the winter too. Today, a 1 litre bottle of Robinsons Summer Fruit Squash costs £1.75. If we go back to 2008, this cost £1.18 and in 1980, just 37p!
According to The Morning Advertiser, seasonal fruit and veg prices have increased by 37%. Most costly fruit saw a rise of 80% in percentage change. Strawberries went from £4.69 per kilogram in 2020 to £8.42 in 2022.
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Mixed frozen vegetables
Off to Waitrose for a mix of carrots, peas, sweetcorn and many more veggie goodness. A 750-gram bag of mixed frozen vegetables today cost £1. Back in 2008, it would cost 67p and a very low 21p in 1980.
Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium, knew some of the reasons for the rise.
“The war in Ukraine, and consequent rise in the price of animal feed, fertiliser, wheat and vegetable oils continued to push up food prices”, Helen says.
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Orange juice
Another tasty drink here, this time in Morrisons. A Don Simon 1-litre juice costs £1.20 today. 14 years ago, it cost 81p and cost even less in 1980 at 25p.
Proactive Investors found out the reason for the rise in orange juice prices is because of a citrus disease known as citrus greening. This disease reduces the size of oranges and number of fruits on a tree.
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Biscuits
In a poll in YouGov in 2016, chocolate Digestives came out on top. Today, they cost £1.50. Back in 2008, they cost £1.01 and only 31p in 1980.
The owner of McVities, Salman Amin, warned of these rises in an article on the Financial Times. He believed this was because of contracts signed when the wheat market experienced highs following the invasion of Ukraine.
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Rice
Rice can be used for risotto, curry or as a side. Easy to grain rice costs £1.35 this year, costing 91p in 2008. But a big shocker is the price in 1980 at a very low 28p.
On the Grocer, they reported that rice prices are rising due to a ‘severe supply chain disruption’.
This year, India is facing a shortage of trains, leading to a lot of rice stuck in ports.
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Beef Mince
From the farm to the table, Irish 20% fat beef mince from Sainsburys costs £1.79. It cost as low as £1.21 and 38p way back in 1980.
In an article from Farmer’s Weekly in 2020, they blamed the rise on panic buying and high demand.
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Bread
You can’t go wrong with bread, but it can go wrong when it starts to cost more. Today, a slice of medium sliced white bread from Tesco costs 80p. Sounds cheap? In 2008, this cost 54p. Also, cheap until we check out the price of it in 1980. 17p. Back when pennies were mostly used.
This links to what is happening with cereals at wheat is a main ingredient for bread. The war in Ukraine is one of the main reasons for the rise in wheat prices.
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Crisps
The ultimate snack in a meal deal along with a drink and a sandwich. Let’s imagine how much a bag of 24 Walkers crisps from Sainsburys would cost in the last two recessions.
Today, it costs £4.25. In 2008, it cost £2.87, a very surprising price. Not as surprising in 1980 when they cost under a pound at 89p!
In the Eastern Daily Press, vegetables such as potatoes have risen by 60%. Farmers in the east of England warn that ‘producers abandoning potatoes for more lucrative crops amid increasing energy costs will mean retail prices continue to climb through the autumn’.
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Pasta
And now, for the biggest change of them all. Pasta. A favourite for many families at dinner. Fusilli from Tesco costs 90p today. But back in 2008, it cost 61p and cost 19p in 1980. This means that fusilli cost 79% less over 40 years ago.
In a graph by the ONS, showing the change in cost of lowest priced goods, they found that pasta has had a rising percentage change of +50%.
Let us know in the comments which of your favourite foods have gone up in price and how much.
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