The price changes in this week's basket are a grave reminder of the deteriorating economic situation.
Every meat product for which year-on-year percentage changes were available showed an increase on last year's price. And six out of those eight increased by over 19%.
But, while there has been some month-on-month pricing change, a greater balance of increases and decreases is evident.
Beef sirloin steak has shown a marginal month-on-month price increase of 3.6%, which is no surprise, according to Christopher Thomas-Everard, national chairman of the National Beef Association. The price of sirloin has stayed low since the start of the credit squeeze as a result of consumers trading down to cheaper cuts and mince, he says.
This shift in consumer demand has led the red meat industry to raise concerns over carcase balance (see page 34). Everard warns that beef farmers are exiting the suckler cattle industry, which could have grave long-term consequences for the future supply of beef.
The beef industry is not the only meat sector facing a squeeze on supply, however. A recent Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board report predicts both supply and consumption of lamb will fall this year. Despite more fresh lamb coming on to the market from New Zealand from last month, lamb chops have also increased in price month-on-month, by 6.2%.
The price of the cheapest whole chicken shows a sharp month-on-month decrease of 11%, while whole free-range chicken is up 4.1%.
This disparity in price changes may be linked to the media attention higher-welfare chicken received last month when 'Chickens, Hugh and Tesco too' aired.
Skinless chicken breast fillets have also decreased in price by 4.4%. This drop may reflect retailers' attempts to increase sales in the face of slowing demand.
"We've seen a gradual swing out of breast portions into whole birds, legs and thighs across fresh chicken ranges as consumers seek to tighten their spend," said a spokesman for 2 Sisters Food Group.
Movements in the price of sausages represent something of a conundrum. The price of thick own-label pork sausages has rocketed 11.4% since last month, while Wall's sausages have decreased in price by 1%.
However, Andrew Keeble of sausage company Debbie & Andrew's claimed the own-label price increase was more of a rebalancing.
"Standard sausages are simply moving back to where they were a few months ago," he said. Prices had been driven downward by supermarket and discounter rivalry in recent months, but were now returning to where they previously had been, he added.
Every meat product for which year-on-year percentage changes were available showed an increase on last year's price. And six out of those eight increased by over 19%.
But, while there has been some month-on-month pricing change, a greater balance of increases and decreases is evident.
Beef sirloin steak has shown a marginal month-on-month price increase of 3.6%, which is no surprise, according to Christopher Thomas-Everard, national chairman of the National Beef Association. The price of sirloin has stayed low since the start of the credit squeeze as a result of consumers trading down to cheaper cuts and mince, he says.
This shift in consumer demand has led the red meat industry to raise concerns over carcase balance (see page 34). Everard warns that beef farmers are exiting the suckler cattle industry, which could have grave long-term consequences for the future supply of beef.
The beef industry is not the only meat sector facing a squeeze on supply, however. A recent Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board report predicts both supply and consumption of lamb will fall this year. Despite more fresh lamb coming on to the market from New Zealand from last month, lamb chops have also increased in price month-on-month, by 6.2%.
The price of the cheapest whole chicken shows a sharp month-on-month decrease of 11%, while whole free-range chicken is up 4.1%.
This disparity in price changes may be linked to the media attention higher-welfare chicken received last month when 'Chickens, Hugh and Tesco too' aired.
Skinless chicken breast fillets have also decreased in price by 4.4%. This drop may reflect retailers' attempts to increase sales in the face of slowing demand.
"We've seen a gradual swing out of breast portions into whole birds, legs and thighs across fresh chicken ranges as consumers seek to tighten their spend," said a spokesman for 2 Sisters Food Group.
Movements in the price of sausages represent something of a conundrum. The price of thick own-label pork sausages has rocketed 11.4% since last month, while Wall's sausages have decreased in price by 1%.
However, Andrew Keeble of sausage company Debbie & Andrew's claimed the own-label price increase was more of a rebalancing.
"Standard sausages are simply moving back to where they were a few months ago," he said. Prices had been driven downward by supermarket and discounter rivalry in recent months, but were now returning to where they previously had been, he added.
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