Supermarkets have hiked the cost of popular Christmas treats such as mince pies and booze well above the rate of inflation, the Mail can reveal.
Retailers have been accused of ‘greedflation’ after introducing steep price rises in the past two years on festive food and drink – including pigs in blankets and cream liqueurs.
Some Christmas foods were up by as much as 38 per cent compared to the same time in 2022, while alcoholic drinks have risen by as much as 46 per cent.
Critics accused retailers of exploiting shoppers at one of the most costly times of year, calling the hikes ‘greedflation’ – excessive price increases to boost profits.
The Mail compared the cost of Christmas products in early November 2022 and the same period this year – when they are typically launched in stores.
Tesco‘s standard-range mince pies cost 38 per cent more, up from £1.09 to £1.50, while Sainsbury’s version rose 36 per cent from £1.25 to £1.70.
The price of panettone also jumped, with Aldi and Tesco upping theirs by 25 per cent from around £4 to £5.
Crisps saw large price rises, with Lidl‘s Deluxe Pigs in Blankets Hand Cooked Potato Crisps rising by 26 per cent to £1.25 and Morrisons The Best Turkey & Stuffing Flavour Crisps up by 24 per cent, from £1.09 to £1.35.
Retailers have been accused of ‘greedflation’ after introducing steep price rises in the past two years on festive food and drink
Supermarkets have hiked the cost of popular Christmas treats such as mince pies and booze, the Mail can reveal. File image
Meanwhile, the cost of Morrisons’ pigs in blankets increased by 22 per cent – from £2.25 to £2.75 – over the two-year period.
Alcoholic drinks saw big rises. A 1l bottle of Morrisons The Best Irish Cream Liqueur went from £10.99 to £16 between November 2022 and this year – a 46 per cent hike.
Lidl’s Christkindl Gluhwein – a German mulled wine – also jumped by 20 per cent over this period, from £4.99 to £5.99.
Overall price inflation on food and drink has been high – peaking at 19.2 per cent in March 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics. But the increases on many Christmas products are significantly above these levels.
Consumer expert Martyn James said: ‘For the last few years, food inflation has reached extraordinary levels significantly over the already worrying hikes in the normal inflation rate.
‘So when supermarkets and retailers hike prices in excess of these rates, it’s nothing short of greedflation. Retailers know we are desperate to treat ourselves… they’ve gambled that we’ll be annoyed about the prices but will still pay.’
While inflation levels for ingredients has varied, none of the food groups the Mail analysed – including cakes, crisps, pork sausages, wine and cream liqueurs – saw inflation higher than 16 per cent in the year to October 2023 or higher than 7 per cent in the period to October 2024.
Some Christmas foods were up by as much as 38 per cent compared to the same time in 2022. File image
The price rises come after it was revealed the average cost of a Christmas dinner has jumped by 6.5 per cent compared to last year – three times the rate of grocery inflation.
The analysis by Kantar claimed the rise was driven by price increases on potatoes, cauliflowers, carrots and parsnips.
It means a festive meal for four costs an average of £32.57.
Susannah Streeter, of financial-services company Hargreaves Lansdown, said the cost of key ingredients, production and labour had risen sharply but some price hikes could not be explained by inflation.
She said: ‘The increase in the price of cream liqueurs and mulled wine does look hefty when compared to average price increases of similar products over the past two years… it seems retailers have hiked prices dramatically.’
At Asda, price rises were below 10 per cent and for some products prices were unchanged from 2022 – including pigs in blankets and mince pies.
Most of the retailers have since lowered some prices in December. Morrisons and Sainsbury’s said their products were cheaper for those using a More or Nectar loyalty card.
Andrew Opie of the British Retail Consortium – which represents supermarkets – said food inflation was at its lowest point since April and shops across the country were offering ‘a huge variety of deals’.
