To get an idea of just why so many people are struggling, take a look at this graph, which tracks the increase in the cost of basic food items from 2012 to 2013.
We’ve heard much about the so-called ‘cost of living crisis’ of late; but also a good deal about how, now that the economy is recovering, we’re all supposed to be feeling better off.
And yet for most people the GDP figures mean very little – average wages are still increasing at a slower pace than inflation, and many are increasingly relying upon charities and food banks to make ends meet.
To get an idea of just why so many people are struggling, take a look at this graph, which tracks the increase in the cost of basic food items from 2012 to 2013:
Using figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), it demonstrates precisey why so many people really are experiencing a cost of living crisis – the cost of food has skyrocketed in recent years. The graph is from 2012 to 2013, so the picture perhaps looks a little less bleak now that wages have started to increase a little (but as mentioned, they still lag behind inflation).
The chart should act as a rejoinder to those like Edwina Currie who believe foodbanks exist simply to indulge feckless people who blow all of their money on tatoos and dog food. For those lucky enough not to have money worries this sort of price increase is probably insignificant. For those less fortunate, however, the impact on the weekly budget of cost increases like this can be catastrophic.
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2 Responses to “How the cost of food soared during the recession”
JC
Hardly rocketed. I’m sure that seasonal and weather variations have been taken into account here. Why not show the change from when they became the government and not just one year? Doesn’t it show the same trend?
Selohesra
Once again chart does not justify the headline – Labours recession ended in 2010 & we were not in recession for the period covered by the chart