The price of milk in many supermarkets has risen faster than the rate of inflation in the past week. Shoppers have been warned that two pints of milk will now cost £1.15 in Asda, Sainsbury's, Aldi, Morrisons and Tesco.
Only Lidl has kept the price lower at £1.05 for two pints. The price rises come as shoppers face increasing pressure on their budgets with soaring prices as inflation hits 9.1%, BirminghamLive reports.
Sainsbury's has increased its price of milk by 10%, rising from £1.05 on Friday to £1.15 on Saturday, the Sun reported. Aldi's price went up by 16% from 99p to £1.15.
Milk is one of the staple dairy products in many shoppers' weekly trolleys and its increase in price is another touchstone in rising bills for households. Diary company Arla, which owns Lurpak, Cravendale and Anchor brands and supplies 3.3 billion litres of milk in the UK, has warned there could be shortages on the shelves.
It comes as farmers say milking cows is no longer profitable, and producing cheap milk is no longer sustainable. Farmers are also facing rising costs of feed, fuel and fertiliser that is putting pressure on their businesses.
An Arla spokesman said: “The cost of living squeeze is putting real pressure on households at the same time, the cost of producing milk has increased to an all-time high and our farmers are struggling to cover their costs, which is resulting in less milk being produced.
"The cost increases that we are seeing on farm are so significant we do have to pass some of these on to ensure our farmers can continue the supply of products into the shops."
A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “We are working closely with our farmers to help them navigate the significant cost pressures we understand they are facing, while continuing to invest in keeping prices as low and competitive for our customers as we can".
