UK CPIH annual rate: food
UK CPIH annual rate: food stood at 1.1% in Aug 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Consumer price inflation table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 1989 to Aug 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Consumer price inflation table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPIH annual rate by group | |||||||||||
| Food | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4 | |
| Non-alcoholic beverages | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 6 | 6.5 |
Understanding UK CPIH annual rate: food
The UK CPIH annual rate for food measures the twelve-month percentage change in retail prices for groceries and non-alcoholic food items purchased by households across the United Kingdom. This category tracks everyday supermarket and specialist food store transactions, encompassing staple goods such as bread, meat, fish, dairy, and fresh produce, while explicitly excluding catering services delivered by restaurants and cafes. It functions as a key sub-component of headline inflation, isolating the cost pressures originating exclusively from domestic food supply chains.
Evaluating this annual rate requires an awareness of volatile agricultural commodity cycles and seasonal weather shocks that frequently generate sharp, temporary deviations in fresh produce pricing. Analysts should compare year-on-year figures rather than month-on-month movements to bypass normal seasonal harvest cycles and holiday discounting patterns. When benchmarking against broader inflation metrics, researchers must account for the high frequency of household food purchases, which can amplify public perception of overall price shifts compared to less frequently bought goods.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this food inflation measure include meals bought at restaurants and cafes?
- No, restaurant and cafe meals are recorded separately under catering services, leaving this series dedicated strictly to retail food purchases.
- Why is the twelve-month comparison preferred over month-on-month changes for food prices?
- The twelve-month comparison neutralises strong seasonal harvest cycles and agricultural supply fluctuations that distort short-term monthly readings.
- How do supermarket promotional cycles affect the food annual rate?
- Temporary discounting and loyalty card promotions can cause artificial downward blips in the monthly data, which smooth out when viewed over a full annual cycle.