LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) - Prices of alcohol-free beer and houmous will go into calculations of British inflation as shoppers prioritise healthier habits, the Office for National Statistics said on
ONS Updates UK Inflation Basket: No-Booze Beer & Houmous Reflect Health Shift
ONS Adds Healthier Choices and Tech Trends to UK Inflation Basket
Introduction of Healthier Products
LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) - Prices of alcohol-free beer and houmous will go into calculations of British inflation as shoppers prioritise healthier habits, the Office for National Statistics said on Monday.
How the Inflation Basket is Calculated
The consumer prices index is based on the cost of more than 750 goods and services, some of which are changed each year, reflecting changing lifestyles as well as shifts in the use of technology.
Impact of Lifestyle Choices
"This year, healthier lifestyle choices influence consumer spending, reflected by goods such as houmous and non-alcoholic beer," Stephen Burgess, ONS deputy director for prices, said.
Other Notable Additions and Removals
New Additions
Other additions to the basket include motor homes, dashboard cameras, pay-TV subscriptions and pet-grooming services.
Items Removed or Changed
Leaving the index this year are sheets of wrapping paper - to be replaced by more popular rolls of wrapping paper - while prices for hotels will be measured in a different way to reduce volatility, the ONS said.
Technological Advances in Data Collection
Supermarket Scanner Data
The statistics agency will also introduce data collection from supermarket scanners for over half of the grocery market. The change means "thousands of manually collected price points will be replaced by millions of prices collected automatically" from supermarket checkouts, the ONS said.
Current Inflation Trends
Recent Inflation Figures
Britain's inflation rate fell to a near one-year low of 3.0% in January but the surge in energy prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East has raised concerns about a fresh increase.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Suban AbdullaEditing by William Schomberg)
