Why the same grocery basket can feel more expensive than the headline inflation rate
Food inflation is easing in some trackers, but shoppers still feel the difference at basket level - especially when branded, own-label and loyalty prices move differently.
Headline inflation is useful, but it is not how most people experience a weekly shop. A household feels prices through the exact basket they buy: milk, bread, eggs, laundry products, pet food, snacks, household essentials and the occasional branded item.
Which? says its supermarket food and drink tracker fell to 4.1% annual inflation in the three months to the end of February 2026, down from earlier peaks. That matters - but it still means grocery prices are rising faster than many shoppers would like.
The Food Foundation's April 2026 tracker also points to continuing pressure, citing ONS food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation rising from 3.3% to 3.7% in the 12 months to March 2026, and a much larger increase in its weekly Basic Basket since April 2022.
The practical shopping question is not only "are food prices up?" It is "which retailer, pack size, loyalty price or own-label swap changes this basket today?"
What CartCompare watches
- Own-label vs branded equivalents
- Loyalty-card prices vs standard shelf prices
- The cheapest single-store basket vs a split basket across retailers
- Whether a saving is real once size, unit price and availability are considered
That is why basket comparison needs product-level data rather than only broad inflation averages. A shopper does not buy an index; they buy a basket.
Sources
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