Inflation data shows the steepest decline in checkout costs since grocery inflation peaked in March.
This is misleading, as it suggests that the data in question shows that grocery prices have fallen. In actual fact, it shows that prices are still rising, but less steeply than previously.
An article published by Sky News today with the headline “Supermarket deals drive down cost of groceries for fourth month in a row” claimed that recently published data shows “the steepest decline in checkout costs during the four weeks to 9 July since grocery inflation peaked in March.”
The article has since been corrected, after Full Fact contacted Sky News to point out that its headline was misleading, as it suggested that the data in question shows that grocery prices have fallen. In actual fact, it shows that prices are still rising, but less steeply than previously.
The headline now reads “Supermarket deals drive down cost of grocery inflation for fourth month in a row”, and states that the data “charted the steepest decline in grocery inflation during the four weeks to 9 July since grocery inflation peaked in March.”
The article reports on research published by the market research consultancy Kantar. In a press release, Kantar says: “Grocery price inflation has seen its steepest decline since inflation peaked in March this year, falling 1.6 percentage points to 14.9% in the four weeks to 9 July 2023”.
But this is not the same as saying grocery prices have actually fallen, as the Sky News article previously appeared to suggest.
Recent polling has found that this is a common misconception when it comes to understanding inflation. It’s therefore important that news publications ensure their reporting of inflation statistics is accurate to avoid causing confusion.
Falling inflation does not necessarily mean that prices are lower than they were previously—but instead that prices are not rising as quickly as they were.
In this case, Kantar’s research shows grocery prices are still 14.9% higher than they were a year ago, but are rising less quickly than earlier in the year (according to Kantar, grocery price inflation hit a record high of 17.5% in March, before falling over subsequent months).
Elsewhere in the article, the reporting accurately reflected what the data actually shows, with the top line stating: “Supermarket deals have helped grocery price inflation ease for a fourth consecutive month.”
Image courtesy of Alexas_Fotos
As detailed in our fact check, Sky News has amended its article.
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