Price of pasta, tea, chips and cooking oil soars

The price of pasta, tea, chips and cooking oil has soared, according to new data, with vegetable oil going up by 65% in a year.

Overall, the price of budget food items rose by 17% in the year to September, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

It comes as inflation is at a 40-year high, with prices up 10.1% in a year.

Food prices drove the latest rise in living costs in September, along with energy bills and transport costs.

The ONS found sharp increases in the price of some household staples in supermarkets. Pasta prices rose by 60% in the year to September 2022, while tea prices went up by almost 50%.

Other everyday grocery items such as chips, bread, biscuits and milk also recorded large increases.

But some other items fell in price during the period, including orange juice and beef mince.