Rising cost of breakfast basics fuel food inflation

Increases in the cost of breakfast essentials have led to food prices continuing to rise. 

New figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and NielsenIQ show that food inflation rose to 2.1% in the year to February 2025.

That’s up from 1.6% in January and above the three-month average of 1.8%.

The upturn was driven partly by the rising cost of many breakfast basics, such as cereals, bread, eggs, cheese and butter.

And the cost of a morning breakfast could go up even further, as the BRC has pointed out that global coffee prices are also climbing.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: “Inflation will likely rise across the board as the year progresses.

“We expect food prices to be over 4% up by the second half of the year.”

Mike Watkins, head of retailer and business insight at NielsenIQ, added that with household bills going up in the next few weeks, shoppers will be “looking carefully” at what they’re spending.

“This may help keep prices lower at non-food retailers,” he said. 

“However, the increase in food inflation is likely to encourage even more shoppers to seek out the savings available from supermarket loyalty schemes.”

Help is available

If you’re struggling to pay for your weekly grocery shop, then don’t suffer in silence.

We can help you with everything from budgeting to making sure you’re getting all the benefits you’re entitled to.

It’s also well worth checking out our handy guide on how to access a food bank and our recent blog on how you can save money in the supermarket.