The cost of food continues to soar with researchers today warning that the average food bill could increase by £271 this year.

Grocery prices were 5.9% higher in April than a year ago, the biggest increase since December 2011, according to research company Kantar.

It said shoppers were turning to discount retailers Aldi and Lidl as pressures on budgets grows.

Frome has a Lidl but not an Aldi but even so it was clear from the marketing in Sainsbury's window today (April 26) that they are fighting to keep customers going to the Westbury branch or over to Shepton Mallet.

The researchers say that even basic food items have seen sharp price increases due to supply chain issues, the war in Ukraine war and rising raw material costs.

Earlier this month a report into food prices showed

• Pasta products: a key base for UK meals, pasta and couscous saw their prices go up 10.1% year-on-year having already jumped 14.9% in January 2022 as a result of poor wheat harvests in 2021.
• Meat and dairy: Meat has gone up in price across the board, with lamb (16.9% up), beef (8.6%) and poultry (7.3%) all seeing large increases.. These prices are likely to increase further with the wholesale price of fertilizer which according to Farmers Weekly has increase 10% just in the past month.
• Russia and Ukraine produced around 55% of the world's sunflower oil last year so supplies are clearly going to be hit

Fair Frome which runs the town's foodbank and supports those in food poverty has written to the Frome MP warning that there is a cost of living crisis even for working families who cannot afford to put food on the table. You can read that letter HERE : In which they warn that an emergency supply of food will not resolve financial crisis and can only act as a temporary sticking plaster and the benefits system needs to be radically overhauled.

The Somerton and Frome MP, David Warburton, is still as of today not available according to his office, following his move to a hospital after allegations that he was sexually predatory to three young women, took drugs and accepted and failed to declare properly a loan from a Russian businessman