Familes count their chickens (and free-range eggs and bottles of rosé)

Published on Monday 23 March 2009 21:05

HOT rotisserie chicken, rosé wine and internet DVD subscriptions have become common purchases for consumers.

All these items have been added to the national shopping basket used to calculate inflation.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released the annual list of goods and services yesterday, reflecting changing lifestyles.

Wine boxes, MP3 players and rentals from DVD hire shops were removed from the basket of goods as part of the review, making way for MP4 players and Blu-ray discs, highlighting the latest trends in new technology.

ONS collects about 120,000 prices every month for a "basket" of about 650 goods and services, to better reflect public spending habits. Changes in the prices of the items are used to compile the two main measures of inflation – the consumer prices index and the retail prices index.

The way consumers order their home entertainment – from the internet rather than from a video shop – is hinted at with the switch to online DVD rentals. A Freeview TV receiver box has been added to show the increase in spending associated with the digital TV switchover.

Professor Robert East, an expert in consumer behaviour at Kingston University, said the shopping list acted as a social barometer. "It tells you what the public is buying and what their interests are," he said.

"You can also see the 'Aldi effect' where people go to save money. It can also reflect ethical and environmental trends."

Changes to eating and drinking habits were reflected with the inclusion of free-range eggs – a shift towards more ethical food shopping – while the surge for hot rotisserie chicken represents the growing popularity of takeaway food from supermarkets.

Ros wine is increasingly popular, and to make space for this, the wine box, introduced in 2006, has been dropped.

The latest data reveals that spending in certain areas has changed markedly, with households splashing out far more on fuel and energy bills than in recent years.

However, "luxury spending" on restaurants and hotels, clothing, footwear and motoring has declined, as a result of consumers tightening their belts.

Introduced in the post-war period, Britain's basket of goods has changed dramatically over time.

"It was started in 1947 and there have been vast changes," said a spokesman for the ONS.

"In 1947, the basket included mangles, women's corsets, candles, gramophone records and wireless licences. The aim is to reflect as closely as we can the way people spend their money."