Soaring food prices hit UK shoppers

London: UK shoppers seeking to avoid higher bills at the checkout are running out of options after prices on more than half of supermarket items rose in the past year. Some 22,000 products offered by Britain's four biggest grocers became costlier since last June, data from retail research firm Assosia shows.

That includes a 35% surge in Heinz Tomato Ketchup and a 9% increase in Actimel yogurt drinks. With UK inflation forecast to hit double digits later this year and wages lagging behind, the prospects for consumers look increasingly bleak.