'Heinz is biggest riser as cost of popular branded food products soar'

The cost of Heinz tomato ketchup has shot up 53 per cent since 2020, making it the biggest riser in a list of leading branded groceries, stated a recent report, highlighting how price of some of the most popular branded food products have soared by as much as 107 per cent in the last two years

According to consumer group Which?, Heinz Tomato Ketchup saw the biggest average percentage increase overall, with its 460g top-down version increasing by 53 per cent (91p) across six major supermarkets over the two-year period.

Dolmio Lasagne Sauce (470g) saw the second biggest average increase, up by 47 per cent (61p) in two years and as much as 107 per cent (£1.09) in one supermarket.

The consumer watchdog tracked 79 branded products for its survey, comparing the prices at Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose over a 30-day period (from 21 September to 20 October) in both 2020 and 2022.

Apart from Heinz products, butter saw some of the biggest rises. A 500g tub of Anchor spreadable butter went up by £1.31 (45 per cent) on average, while the same-sized tub of Lurpak spreadable slightly salted was up by £1.17 (35 per cent).

Sue Davies, head of food policy at Which?, said, “Our research shows the shocking rate of inflation on some of the nation’s favourite branded foods, which is much higher than the national average and highlights why it is so important for retailers to provide people with a choice of product ranges.”

The findings seem to give an insight of why British shoppers have been switching to budget ranges and discount chains, as annual supermarket inflation reached a record high of nearly 15 per cent last month. Analysts at Kantar say overall grocery price inflation stood at 17.2 per cent in relation to October 2020 – the closest available comparison with the Which? Survey.

“Like the rest of the food industry, we are continuing to face inflationary pressures on ingredients, labour and transportation,” The Guardian quoted a spokesperson for Kraft Heinz, the parent group of the ketchup brand, as saying.

“As a result, the prices of our products continue to reflect the costs of production. We value our consumers and are aware of the daily role Heinz products play in households across the UK."