As shrinkflation creeps into the sausage aisles, latest data reveals supermarket prices for bangers, bacon and fresh pork products are surging.
Average chilled sausage prices are up 4% year on year across 335 SKUs in the mults [Brandview: 52 w/e 10 July 2017], with hikes across supermarket own-label ranges.
A pack of eight Lincolnshire pork sausages is now 13% more expensive at £1.64 following price hikes in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, while a 375g pack of premium pork chipolatas is up 11% compared with last year at £2.38 on average across the mults.
Some branded sausages are also more expensive. A pack of 12 Richmond thin pork sausages is up 10% at an average of £1.71, while a pack of eight Wall’s skinless pork sausages is up 20% to £1.40.
Prices for bacon are also higher in the mults, up 2% on average across 180 branded and own-label SKUs compared with last year. Some bacon lines have seen double-digit increases - with a 250g pack of own-label smoked bacon lardons now £2.32 on average, up 19% year on year, while a 300g pack of own-label smoked streaky bacon is up 12% to £2.22.
Cooked ham prices have risen by just 1% on average across 257 SKUs in the major mults compared with last year, but some popular lines have been subject to more significant price hikes, including a 120g pack of honey roast ham, up 8% to £1.79, and a 120g pack of own-label premium British Wiltshire breaded ham, up 9% to £2.73 on average.
Fresh pork is also outpacing the rest of the meat and poultry category when it comes to supermarket price increases.
Average prices for fresh pork are 6% higher year on year across 136 comparable SKUs in the mults, compared with a 5% increase in average beef prices, no increase in average lamb prices and a 1% dip in average supermarket prices for chicken.
An own-label British boneless pork loin joint is now £5.72 per kilo - up 27% year on year - while a large pork leg joint is up 14% to £9.44 and a pork shoulder joint is up 21% to £6.40.
Kerry Foods admitted last month it had shrunk weights of several Richmond sausage packs, as well as a Denny’s ham SKU, while keeping rsps the same. The supplier, which also produces Wall’s, blamed the shrinkflation on the “long-term rise in the price of pork”.
UK pig prices are surging on the back of strong export demand from China and tightening supplies across Europe. The UK-spec SPP has grown for 17 consecutive weeks and is now almost 40p above last year.
“Tight supplies, coupled with good export demand, have contributed to the rise in pig prices during 2017, which have increased every week since the start of March,” said an AHDB spokeswoman. “However, the rate of increase has slowed somewhat recently, with a similar trend being recorded in European markets.”
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