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ONS Overhauls UK Inflation Basket With Houmous and Alcohol-Free Beer as Scanner Data Debuts

Officials say the update better reflects current spending habits.

Overview

  • Britain’s statistics agency adds houmous and non-alcoholic beer to the consumer prices index to reflect healthier choices.
  • Supermarket scanner data will now capture over half of grocery sales, replacing thousands of manual price points with millions of checkout prices.
  • New entries also include motor homes, dashboard cameras, pay-TV subscriptions, pet-grooming services and croissants.
  • Sheets of wrapping paper are replaced by rolls, and hotel prices will be collected differently to reduce volatility.
  • The CPI covers more than 750 goods and services and is updated annually, with the latest changes set against inflation near 3.0% and recent energy price increases.