Grocery prices surge as Which? identifies top 20 rising items in UK supermarkets

Prices for everyday groceries rose sharply between August 2024 and August 2025, according to Which? data that tracked about 27,000 products across major supermarkets. The analysis adjusted for temporary discounts and compared three‑month averages to remove short‑term spikes. Shoppers continued to face higher tills as retailers and suppliers passed on rising costs.

The biggest year‑on‑year rise was a 500g box of ASDA Special Flakes cereal, up from 99p to £1.84, an 85.9% jump. In joint second place, Tesco's Maltesers Cake Bars (5‑pack) and Galaxy Cake Bars (5‑pack) rose from £1.49 to £2.75, an 84.6% increase. The next three largest rises were at ASDA: six soft white rolls (0.85 to 1.51, 78%); a 37g Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffles box (1.15 to 1.98, 72.2%); and ten mild cheddar slices (0.65 to 1.12, 71.8%).

Other notable increases in the top 20 included Ocado Turf & Clover 2 Ultimate Beef Burgers (300g) rising from £3.23 to £5.52 (70.6%), Morrisons Cornflakes (500g) from £0.76 to £1.25 (63.6%), Morrisons chocolate (100g) from 49p to 80p (63.3%), and Sainsbury's Organic British Beef Mince 5% Fat (500g) from £5.50 to £8.96 (62.8%). The list also highlighted double‑digit rises in other everyday items from bakery staples to multipacks of chocolate and meat products.

Which? noted that the findings span a broad mix of brands and retailer formats, underscoring how inflation has seeped into a wide range of everyday groceries rather than being confined to a single category. The group’s researchers pointed out that the three months to August 2025 showed chocolate leading the inflationary slate, followed by butters and spreads and biscuits, while cereals were among the slower movers. Overall, food inflation for August 2025 stood at about 5.2% year over year, continuing the pattern of elevated price pressure for households.

The three‑month analysis also contrasted with the year‑over‑year picture in other respects. The biggest annual increase in a single month, as measured to August 2025, was in chocolate products, which were up about 14.6% from a year earlier, followed by butters and spreads (around 10%), biscuits (about 8.4%), and cakes and cookies (roughly 7.2%). Cereals, by contrast, rose by about 1.9% year over year. These(category‑level) shifts fed into the broader message that food inflation remains a key cost‑of‑living pressure for households.

Shoppers are already feeling the squeeze at tills, Which? said, with higher costs for retailers and suppliers being passed on to consumers. The group attributed several macro factors to the price pressures, including higher employer costs and weaker harvests, which raise costs along the supply chain. Which? retail editor Reena Sewraz urged consumers to compare prices not just across brands, but across pack sizes and retailers to maximize value. She also called on supermarkets to maintain affordable options in pricier formats and to avoid excluding certain groups from discounted pricing and loyalty offers.

Economists and industry groups weighed in on the price dynamics as well. British Retail Consortium economist Harvir Dhillon noted that retailers are absorbing part of the cost burden while still facing higher wholesale beef prices, driven by global demand and tighter supply. He also highlighted how cocoa prices—shaped by harvests in Africa and other factors—have weighed on chocolate prices. In parallel, an Asda spokesperson defended the retailer’s pricing stance, saying the chain remains the lowest‑priced full‑service supermarket in independent price comparisons and that more than 14,000 products are currently in a rollback or permanently lower price cycle. Asda said this approach is part of its broader price‑leadership strategy across the rollbacks and value campaigns that the chain operates.

The outlets contacted for comment on the Which? study included Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose, all of which are represented in the data set. In parallel with the Which? release, the Office for National Statistics reported that food and drink price inflation remained sticky, with August CPI food inflation around 5.1% year over year, a rate that has persisted for several months. The statistics office noted that while inflation for categories such as pasta, rice and olive oil edged down, a range of other items—especially dairy, meat and confectionery—continued to pressure the overall reading.

Separately, market research firm Numerator’s Worldpanel data released around the same period showed a softer monthly pace in grocery price inflation, nudging down to 4.9% in the month to September from the previous month’s reading, signaling a potential easing in some categories though still at historically elevated levels.

Taken together, the data paint a picture of a grocery sector navigating higher costs while trying to shield shoppers from the full impact. For households seeking to manage budgets, analysts advise vigilance over price movements, consideration of different store formats, and attention to promotions, plus a broader view of value across brands and product sizes rather than fixing on a single item at a single retailer.