The spiralling cost of YOUR Christmas dinner: How price of vegetables for festive family meal cost up to 60% more than last year – with 1kg bag potatoes rising from £1.85 to £2.95, carrots up from 25p to 35p, and sprouts increasing by 12.5%

• Prices of winter veg increase by average of 7% over the past year 
• Some have gone up by more than a tenth in just the past month 

The cost of vegetables for Christmas dinner has soared by up to 60 per cent in one year with carrots, potatoes, parsnips and brussels sprouts all hit by soaring inflation.

Prices have risen by an average of 7 per cent over the past year across 208 lines of parsnips, carrots, potatoes and brussels sprouts at Aldi, Lidl, Co-op and Waitrose.

Data from retail research firm Assosia revealed annual price rises of at least 10 per cent on more than a third of products, while 24 increased by more than 20 per cent.

The analysis of supermarket prices revealed in trade journal The Grocer also found the cost of some vegetables had risen by more than a tenth in just the past month.

Soaring production costs and poor weather affecting growing conditions were said to be partly behind the increases, as well as low supermarket returns for many crops.

It comes amid concerns over shortages with one expert warning empty supermarket shelves could become ‘business as usual’ and the ‘new normal’ for shoppers.

The biggest rise across all winter vegetables was Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference New Potatoes line, which went up by 60 per cent in a year from £1.85/kg to £2.95/kg.

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Carrots made up the next highest rises were in carrots – with Tesco’s own label loose carrots up from 7p to 10p per item, an increase of 43 per cent.

Asda Crunchy and Sweet Carrots (500g) rose by 40 per cent from 25p to 35p; while Aldi’s Nature’s Pick Carrots (500g) increased by 38 per cent from 24p to 33p.

Meanwhile Tesco red potatoes (2.5kg) went up by 37 per cent from £1.35 to £1.85, and Asda’s British Fluffy and Golden Baking Potatoes increased by 36 per cent from £1.25 to £1.70.

Other big risers were Asda Creamy & Flavoursome Sweet Potatoes by 35 per cent from 89p to £1.20; and Tesco Carrots (both 1kg) by 33 per cent from 45p to 60p.

Completing the top ten were Sainsbury’s Carrots and Aldi Nature’s Pick Carrots (both 1kg), which also both increased by 33 per cent from 45p to 60p.

The research also looked at prices that have risen significantly in the past month – including Lidl’s Oaklands Chantenay Carrots (500g) which have gone up by 38 per cent from 45p to 62p.

Others included Sainsbury’s Carrots (500g), the retailer’s Stamford Street Co carrots (1kg), Waitrose Essential Carrots and Co-op Loose Carrots which have all gone up by 25 per cent since the end of October.

The data follows research out last week that showed UK families are paying £605 more for their food than they did two years ago.

Experts from the universities of Bournemouth, Exeter and Sheffield said climate change was the main reason for the high prices.

Empty shelves in the fruit and veg aisles of a Tesco in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, in February

The cost of veg for Christmas dinner has risen by up to 60 per cent in a year (stock image)

They said rising costs due to extreme weather had kept food inflation high throughout 2022 and 2023 even as energy prices decreased.

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Recent flooding in the UK left cereal, potato and other crops rotting underwater, farmers have said, while extreme heat and drought in Spain has damaged olive harvests and pushed up the price of olive oil by around 50 per cent.

Other staple products like sugar, rice and tomatoes have been impacted by extreme weather, with food inflation rising to around 20 per cent this spring.

Last month, data from Kantar showed grocery price inflation had fallen to single digits for the first time in 16 months.

Prices across grocers were 9.7 per cent higher than a year ago over the four weeks to October 29, down from the previous month’s 11 per cent, the analysts said.

It was the eighth consecutive decline in the rate of price rises since the figure peaked at 17.5 per cent in March, and the first time the figure had fallen below 10 per cent since July last year.

However, despite the milestone, consumers are only seeing year-on-year price falls in a limited number of categories, including butter, dried pasta and milk, according to its data.

Last week, Lea Valley Growers Association secretary Lee Stiles warned empty shelves would ‘seem to be the new business as usual for UK supermarkets’.

Tim O’Malley, managing director of Nationwide Produce, told The Grocer last month that potato supplies were falling and prices were rising due to flooding.

MailOnline has contacted Tesco, Waitrose, Lidl, Aldi, Asda and Sainsbury’s for comment. 

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