NEW research confirmed today that the nation’s poorest have been hit hardest by inflation, as prices for the cheapest groceries have surged much more than those of premium brands.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies found that between 2021 and 2023, inflation disproportionately targeted cheaper products.

Poorer households paid 29.1 per cent more for food, compared to 23.5 per cent for wealthier households. 

It found that basic grocery items priced in the cheapest 10 per cent of each category, including milk, pasta and butter, rose by 36 per cent.

More expensive versions of the same items rose by 16 per cent.

The IFS said the differences in grocery inflation were “unprecedented” and that there had been no other two-year period over the past decade which demonstrated such high differences.

When it looked at households in the bottom quarter of spending distribution, it found they were paying around £100 more a year for groceries. 

The research also revealed a 2.2 per cent increase in spending on the cheapest 10 per cent of products, with households turning to these items to manage the growing strain on their budgets.

Turn2us head of policy Shelley Hopkinson said: “People are at breaking point because our social security system has failed to keep pace with soaring prices which disproportionately impact those on the lowest incomes.

“We urge the government to listen to people’s experiences and take immediate steps to make our social security system fair, accessible, and truly supportive.

“This means ensuring benefits cover essential living costs and scrapping punitive policies that reduce income such as the two-child limit.”