Grocery prices are on the rise again as the UK's top four retailers and their suppliers seek to claw back margins dented by rising costs.

Latest data from The Grocer Price Index reveals the average cost of our secret 100-item shopping basket has soared by an inflation-busting 3.2% in the past month - from £175.57 to £180.94.

Even more strikingly, over the past 12 months our basket has rocketed by a whopping 6.3%, or £10.71.

Analysts said the supply chain was taking advantage of widespread media coverage of rising costs, which had helped manage consumers' expectations and made it easier to hike up prices in-store. "What we are seeing now is a big shift by the food manufacturers as they attempt to recoup all the margins that they had lost this year and the last," said Christopher Gower, food industry analyst at Man Securities. "Suppliers are passing on food price inflation to the supermarkets and in turn they are getting away with pushing through these rises because customers appear happy to take it on the chin."

Richard Ratner, retail analyst at Seymour Pierce, said: "Seasonality and a change in the country of origin for many fresh fruit and veg products will also be fuelling some rises.

"However the majority of hikes have been concentrated on value added products, and those are set to stick."

The future held little prospect of a lessening in the upward pressure on grocery prices as there were further cereal price increases to come, Ratner warned.

This month's increase contrasts with the 0.1% drop in prices that was recorded in last month's The Grocer Price Index.