No big increase in grocery prices, Hong Kong’s consumer body says
Consumer Council says cost of items grew only 0.5 per cent, compared with city’s 2.4 per cent inflation rate
Prices for groceries in Hong Kong supermarkets went up by only 0.5 per cent in the past year, a figure much lower than the city’s 2.4 per cent inflation rate, according to an annual survey by the consumer watchdog.
But essential food items such as milk and infant formula were at least 4 per cent more expensive compared with the previous year, while prices for liquid soap and handwash increased by 13 per cent, the Consumer Council found.`
The survey covered 200 grocery items sold at Hong Kong’s three major supermarket chains – ParknShop, Wellcome and CR Vanguard – and placed them into 13 categories.
A year-on-year comparison by the consumer watchdog indicated prices in five categories went up, while the remaining eight dropped.
Personal care products – toothpaste, shampoo, soap and sanitary products – led the price jumps, rising 4.9 per cent overall. But liquid soap and handwash recorded a 13.3 per cent price increase. A litre of Lux Soft Kiss shower gel surged 21.9 per cent to HK$32.90 last year.