Brits have watched double-digit inflation wipe out any wage gains in one of the worst cost-of-living crises in a generation. Many have gone into debt, paying for things such as food, energy, and shelter. Others have been left with little or no discretionary income ahead of a very dark and cold winter.
Research company Kantar published a new survey Tuesday that revealed startling food inflation numbers for October that soared at the fastest pace in 14 years.
Kantar said annual grocery prices rose to 14.7% last month, the fastest since the research firm began tracking prices.
Consumers are expected to pay an additional £682 in their annual grocery bill if they continue buying the same items.
The survey found that 27% of all households are "struggling financially," double the amount from last November. Nine in ten respondents said food inflation is a top concern, while energy bills were second.
"So it's clear just how much grocery inflation is hitting people's wallets and adding to their domestic worries," Kantar said.
Kantar revealed consumers are switching from name-brand items to cheap private-label store brands to save money:
Own label sales have jumped again by 10.3% over the latest four weeks, as shoppers adopt different strategies to manage their budgets. The branded goods market grew far slower at 0.4%.
In a separate study, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found a whopping 7 million families have given up on heating, showers, and toiletries this year due to the cost-of-living crisis squeezing discretionary income.
According to the data collected for the HEPI, natural gas bills in Europe have gone up by as much as 111 percent over the past year, with electricity prices up by an average of 69 percent. Taken together, Euronews calculates these two make for a total 90-percent increase in household energy bills over the past year.
"Significantly higher [energy prices] compared to one year ago ... can be attributed to a combination of factors, such as increased demand connected to post-pandemic economic recovery and extraordinary weather conditions, the record-high prices for natural gas, and high CO2 emissions allowances," the authors of the latest HEPI report noted.
The high energy bills are creating headaches for European governments: strikes and protests are multiplying and disgruntlement with energy policies is growing.
The cost of living in most of Europe is already exorbitant because of the energy crisis and this crisis is only going to get worse after the EU embargoes on Russian oil and then fuels come into effect.
In some parts of Europe, according to the latest HEPI report, energy prices have reached record highs but in others, prices have actually fallen, at least in October. The news is not as good as it looks at first glance: the decline was a result of government intervention, i.e. energy subsidies.
There have been a lot of subsidies as European governments try to alleviate the financial pain on households and businesses to avoid further disgruntlement. Germany alone will be spending some $200 billion on such coping measures, including a cap on energy prices up to a certain level of consumption.
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