'Six eggs used to be £1' - why everyday essentials cost so much more now

'Six eggs used to be £1' - why everyday essentials cost so much more now Many of us have been buying the same supermarket staples every week for years. And we've all noticed when we get to the checkout the total is higher now than it used to be - even when we've left luxuries like wine or biscuits on the shelf. But you might be surprised to know exactly how much everyday essentials like milk, bread and eggs used to cost just a few years ago compared to what you're paying today.

We reveal how much they've gone up, what's behind the rise and whether anyone is profiting. Back in 2022 you only had to shell out £1 for the average box of six supermarket own brand free-range eggs. But today the same box costs £1.80, according to market researchers Assosia which compared average prices across Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons for the BBC. The price of eggs shot up after millions of hens were culled following the UK's worst outbreak of avian flu between 2021 and 2023. The sudden drop in the number of laying hens and the added energy cost of keeping birds indoors due to restrictions caused shortages. This led to supermarkets putting limits on how many eggs each customer could buy and both producers and retailers put prices up to offset their losses. A big chunk of the cost of producing eggs comes from buying the grain the hens eat, heating their sheds and transporting the eggs. Ukraine is a major supplier of grain and the cost rose sharply after Russia's full scale invasion in 2022. The conflict also pushed up energy prices, something we are seeing once again due to the war in the Middle East. While these price pressures continue, demand for eggs remains high due to the popularity of high protein diets. Milk is another everyday essential that's gone up, from £1.29 for four pints of semi-skimmed in 2022 to £1.65 today, according to Assosia's data on supermarket budget ranges. Dairy production uses a lot of energy in milking, processing and transportation so the energy price hikes following the war in Ukraine hit the industry hard and pushed up prices.

Key points

• We reveal how much they've gone up, what's behind the rise and whether anyone is profiting.
• Back in 2022 you only had to shell out £1 for the average box of six supermarket own brand free-range eggs.
• But today the same box costs £1.80, according to market researchers Assosia which compared average prices across Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons for the BBC.
• The price of eggs shot up after millions of hens were culled following the UK's worst outbreak of avian flu between 2021 and 2023.
• The sudden drop in the number of laying hens and the added energy cost of keeping birds indoors due to restrictions caused shortages.