Retail price index rejig

By Alex Delaney

The ‘shopping list’ of goods in the retail price index is changing. Brussel sprouts and vegetable oil are out - olive oil and fizzy drinks are in.

It seems broccoli is a more reliable measure of our regular shopping habits because it is not as seasonal as other greens.

Technology is the clearest indicator of how much things have changed in recent years with portable radios and CD’s out, and satellite navigation and recordable DVD’s heading for the shopping basket this year.

The retail price index is based on the cost of 650 everyday goods and services. The list helps The Bank of England keep to its inflation targets. The National Office of Statistics collects about 120,000 costs each month to use in its assessment of inflationary pressures on the economy.

Some items are included because the number of people purchasing them means they represent everyday spending; others, such as diamond rings, because it is easy to gather statistics on them.

It is the first year that toothbrushes will be included and the much maligned brussel sprout has been taken out after a stunning 60 years on the list.

The list appears to show a trend in consumer spending towards middle class goods and services. This year the Office for National Statistics has chosen to include the cost of mortgage arrangements and credit card fees. Brie cheese, a bourgeois staple, has however fallen out of favour and is being dropped from the list along with children’s wellington boots and sunglasses.