Nation opts for a healthier shopping basket

WALK down any street in Britain or into any office and people will be sipping from them, refilling them or clutching them tightly like the latest fashion accessory.

• The latest Office of National Statistics figures show the changing trends of Britain's shoppers. People's 'receptivity to health advice, their age and changing work patterns' are key factors. Picture: Greg Macvean

And now the ubiquitous small plastic bottle of mineral water has kicked the traditional can of fizzy drink off the nation's shopping list.

Along with cereal bars, lip gloss, hair straighteners and allergy tablets, mineral water is included on the 2010 annual "snapshot" shopping list of goods and services released by the Office of National Statistics yesterday.

The items are among those used by ONS statisticians to calculate how inflation is hitting the nation's shopping basket. The ONS collects about 180,000 prices every month for a basket of about 650 goods and services.

Other new items in the basket include frozen fish in breadcrumbs, liquid soap and blu-ray disc players.

Among this year's discarded items are disposable cameras, eyesight test charges and squash court hire.

Dr Ian Fillis, senior lecturer in marketing at the School of Marketing at the University of Stirling, said the shopping basket's new items and those discarded reflected people's receptivity to health advice, their age and changing work patterns.

He said: "We seem to be constantly bombarded by the media, government and medical reports that we should be changing the way we live.

"A certain percentage of us seem to be paying attention to this, which reflects the popularity of so-called 'healthy' cereal bars and bottled water. Even if some research shows there is no real difference between bottled and tap water, people are still buying it which I'd put down to the power of marketing companies.

"Younger people are more likely to go for new technology as a form of consumption, using their mobile phones to take photographs, while older people with a mobile phone may prefer digital cameras.

"Another factor is that we've got less and less time on our hands. We are working the longest hours in Europe and these 'to go' items to be consumed as walk around are likely to be a reflection of this."

Lindsey McManus, head of communications at the charity Allergy UK, said she was not surprised allergy tablets had made it into the basket: "More people are aware of allergies than they were ten-15 years ago. There is more in the press and increasing numbers of people are treating themselves for symptoms caused by dust mites or hayfever.

"We are more informed than ever and people are becoming aware that asthma and eczema can be allergy-related. It is quite difficult to get referred to a GP for allergy testing."

Statisticians have also changed the way in which mortgage interest payments are calculated for the Retail Prices Index (RPI), which was previously based on the average standard variable rates from major lenders.

The ONS will instead take into account a raft of discount, fixed-rate and tracker mortgages, representing 90 per cent of the market, in its new calculations.

The Bank of England's cost-of-living benchmark, the Consumer Prices Index, is currently well above the 2 per cent target at 3.5 per cent, the highest since November 2008. Inflation has been pushed higher by the increase in VAT back up to 17.5 per cent, a 70 per cent hike in oil prices over the past year and the effects of sterling's depreciation, although the Bank expects the inflation spike to be temporary.

IN

Garlic bread

Cereal bars

Frozen fish in breadcrumbs/batter

Powdered baby formula

Bottles of fruit drinks

Small bottles of still mineral water

Allergy tablets

Blu-ray disc players

Computer games with accessories

Hair straighteners/tongs

Lip gloss

Liquid soap

Household services maintenance policy (eg insurance cover for boiler)

OUT

Pitta bread

Baby food

Carton of fruit drink

Fizzy canned drink

Men's trainers

Gas call-out charge and servicing

Eyesight test

Disposable cameras

Squash court hire

Lipstick

Bars of toilet soap

Hairdryers

1950s

Mangles

Camera film

Crisps

Loo roll

Dance hall tickets

Frozen cod fillets

Candles

Soap flakes

Swede

Gowns

1970s

Yoghurt

Duvets

Cassette recorders

Dried mashed potato

Electric plugs

Hake

Prunes

Overalls

Bike tyres

Shirts with loose collars

2000s

Mobile phones

MP4 players

Chicken nuggets

Muffins

Smoothies

Disposable razors

Top 40 singles

35mm film

Slippers

Gin