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Alcohol-free beer and pet grooming used to measure inflation
The ONS added 27 new items reflecting healthier lifestyles and technology, using supermarket scanner data for over half of grocery prices to improve inflation accuracy.
- The Office for National Statistics updated its inflation basket, adding 27 items and removing 19 to reach a total of 760 products and services tracked monthly.
- Additions such as alcohol-free beer and houmous reflect shifting consumer habits. "Healthier lifestyle choices influence consumer spending," said Stephen Burgess, ONS deputy director for prices.
- Replacing thousands of manual price checks, the ONS is adopting supermarket scanner data for over half the grocery market. This shift provides millions of automated records from supermarket tills.
- These inflation figures influence critical financial decisions, including Bank of England interest rates, pension adjustments, and benefits. The updated basket ensures these measures remain representative of contemporary spending.
- Official forecasters now predict inflation near 3% by year-end, revised upward from earlier expectations due to economic fallout from the war in Iran. This shift complicates fiscal planning for households and policymakers.
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UK inflation measures to include non‑alcoholic beer as 25% of Britons say no to booze
Office for National Statistics (ONS) has added houmous and alcohol-free beer to the basket of goods used to measure UK inflation for 2026, reflecting changing spending habits among British consumers
·London, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources16
Leaning Left2Leaning Right2Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
L 22%
C 56%
R 22%
Factuality
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