Food prices will soon overtake energy in driving UK inflation, report predicts

Factory gate prices for milk, meat and other foods has accelerated, in some cases by more than 50% year on year. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

The rising cost of food will overtake the price of energy as the driving force behind inflation over the summer, hitting poorer households the hardest, a leading thinktank has forecast.

Grocery bills that had rocketed by almost 20% during the past year would continue to increase, replacing energy prices that were expected to begin falling over the next few months, the Resolution Foundation said.