Annual food price inflation has seen its first slowdown this year, according to the monthly shop price index from the British Retail Consortium and Nielsen.
It dropped to 7.9% in April, down from the 9% figure recorded in March, and the first fall since December 2008.
Stephen Robertson, British Retail Consortium director general, said: “With food cheaper than a month ago, the worst of food price inflation may be over, thanks to a more stable value for the pound.
“But rising farmgate prices for meat and some vegetables are the main factors working against retailers’ attempts to keep overall shopping bills down.”
Mike Watkins, senior manager for retailer services at Nielsen, said: “Increased promotional activity by food retailers compensated shoppers for the continued impact of inflation.”
Year-on-year, ambient food prices increased by 6.4%, down from an 8.1% rise in March, while fresh food was up by 8.9%, from 9.6% in March.
Month-on-month, food prices in April fell by 0.3% when compared with March. The price of fresh food products decreased by 0.4%, while ambient foods fell by 0.1%
