A quarter of British people say they are struggling financially as fresh food inflation hits the highest level on record after the weakening pound made imports from Europe more expensive.
Shop price inflation rose to a fresh high of 8.4% in February, up from 8% in January, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), driven by new highs in the cost of food. Fresh food prices rose to 16.3% amid shortages of staples such as tomatoes and broccoli, as poor weather in southern Spain and north Africa combined with higher costs for glasshouse growers in the UK and the Netherlands.
