Groceries 'cheaper' now than in 1862, Grocer magazine finds

Groceries today cost one-thirteenth of what they did 150 years ago, according to a study from The Grocer magazine.

The magazine applied an inflation measure to the 1862 prices of 33 items including eggs, hot chocolate, bread, grapes, a toothbrush and sherry.

The weekly basket of food, drink and household items priced at £93.95 now would have cost an 1862 shopper £1,254.17 in real terms.

The magazine put the fall down to wage increases and greater imports.

The Grocer carried out the analysis to mark its 150th birthday.

While a Victorian shopper would spend a third of their money on food - today our grocery shop accounts for less than 10% of our weekly expense, it said.

It found the biggest relative changes were seen in non-native fruits.

This week a pineapple cost an average of £1.72 but in 1862 it sold for 5s - estimated to cost £149 in real terms.

Link to full BBC article