Cost of Christmas dinner ‘rises three times faster than wages this year’, TUC finds

The cost of food items for a Christmas dinner has increased three times faster than wages this year, new research shows.

Traditional fare such as turkey, pigs in blankets, carrots and roast potatoes have risen by an average of 18% over the past year - faster than the consumer price index at 11.1% -  while wages have only gone up by 5.7%.

Fresh or frozen veg is up nearly 12%, potatoes up by a fifth, and the cost of cranberry sauce and bread sauce has also increased by a third, according to the analysis by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

The TUC said that if wages had gone up as much as the cost of a turkey this Christmas, the average worker would have had an extra £76 per week in their pay packet.

In addition, the cost of cooking a Christmas dinner this year will also be considerably more expensive than 12 months ago due to soaring energy prices. Electricity and gas prices increased by 66% and 129% respectively in the 12 months to October 2022, the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.

The organisation is calling on the government to raise the minimum wage for public sector workers to £15 per hour to help households cope with the rising cost of living.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Christmas should be a time for celebration. Everyone should be able to enjoy turkey and all the trimmings while they relax with their family, but soaring food and energy prices mean many families will struggle to afford the festivities.

“The fact is many workers are dreading the new year. Ministers can no longer ignore the crisis facing working families. The government needs to shield families from the misery of the coming recession.

“That means raising the minimum wage to £15 an hour as soon as possible. It means a proper pay rise for our dedicated public sector workers, and it means getting wages rising across the economy for everyone.”

Food inflation hits record high

The findings come after data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) trade body revealed that UK food price inflation surged to a record 12.4% last month, with the cost of staple items including eggs, dairy products and coffee all rising in price.

Overall shop prices are now 7.4% higher than last November, up from 6.6% in October, but food inflation accelerated considerably further to 12.4% from October’s 11.6% – also the highest rate on record as rocketing energy, animal feed and transport costs forced up prices.

The BRC-Nielsen IQ Shop Price Index shows fresh food inflation rose even higher to 14.3%, up from 13.3% last month, driven particularly by the cost of meat, eggs and dairy, while coffee prices “shot up” as high input costs filtered through to price tags.

Christmas gifting is also set to become more expensive than in previous years with sports and recreation equipment seeing particularly high increases. Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: “Winter looks increasingly bleak as pressures on prices continue unabated.

“While there are signs that cost pressures and price rises might start to ease in 2023, Christmas cheer will be dampened this year as households cut back on seasonal spending in order to prioritise the essentials.”