英國咨詢公司凱度最新數據顯示，英國3月份食品雜貨通脹率上升至創紀錄的17.5%。數月來，英國的生活成本持續升高，大宗商品價格高企、供應鏈中斷和收成不佳導致食品雜貨通脹率連續九個月維持在兩位數。

3月食品雜貨通脹率17.5%創新高

Year-on-year price increases for groceries hit an all-time high of 17.5% in the four weeks to 19 March compared with a year earlier, according to the latest figures from the data firm Kantar. The prices of eggs, milk and cheese are rising at the fastest pace.
凱度的數據顯示，截至3月19日的四周內，食品雜貨價格同比漲幅創下17.5%的歷史新高，雞蛋、牛奶和奶酪的價格正在以最快的速度上漲。

受此影響，英國家庭食品雜貨平均年度賬單增加837英鎊（約合人民幣7102元），達到5617英鎊（約合人民幣47663元）。

英國零售商協會（BRC）稱，水果和蔬菜短缺是導致英國食品通脹率高企的原因之一。這表明在生活成本危機中掙扎的家庭幾乎沒有得到任何改善。

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said “poor harvests in Europe and north Africa worsened availability” of fruit and vegetables and the weakness of sterling further pushed up the cost of imports. Prices of fruit and vegetables grown out of seasons in greenhouses in the UK and other northern European countries were also affected by high energy costs.
英國零售商協會首席執行官海倫·迪金森表示，“歐洲和北非歉收導致水果和蔬菜的供應短缺惡化”，英鎊疲軟進一步推高了進口成本。英國和北歐國家的反季節種植溫室果蔬價格也受到能源價格上漲的影響。

Ms Dickinson added that the rising cost of sugar had also fed through into higher prices for chocolate and other sweets as the Easter holidays approached.
迪金森稱，隨著復活節假期的臨近，糖的成本上漲也導致了巧克力和其他糖果漲價。

英國生活成本危機“幾乎沒有消退跡象”

Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets, at Hargreaves Lansdown, a financial services company, said the cost of living crisis was “showing little sign of dying down”.
金融服務公司英國哈格里夫斯－蘭斯當貨幣和市場主管蘇珊娜·斯特里特表示，英國的生活成本危機“幾乎沒有消退的跡象”。

It follows the shock rise in inflation recorded by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) earlier this month. Experts were expecting the rate to start easing downwards. But the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 10.4% in the 12 months February – up from 10.1% in the previous month.
英國國家統計局此前公布的數據顯示，盡管專家預計通脹率將放緩，但2月通脹率同比上漲10.4%，較1月的 10.1%有所上升。

The ONS said the price of food and non-alcoholic drinks rose at their fastest rate in 45 years over this period, with the largest contributor to the increases being fresh vegetables.
英國國家統計局表示，2月食品和非酒精飲料的價格以45年來的最快速度上漲，新鮮蔬菜的漲幅最大。

高通脹加劇貧富差距，貧困家庭首當其沖

Laura Suter, head of personal finance at AJ Bell, said: “Food costs keep going up and up, much to the dismay of the British public, who had hoped the bill at the checkout would have dropped by now.
英國投資平臺AJ Bell個人財務主管羅拉·蘇特說：“食品價格一直在上漲，這讓英國公眾非常沮喪，他們原本希望物價現在就會開始下降?！?/p>

Ms Suter added that those hit hardest are low income families, who spend more of their overall income on food.
蘇特表示，低收入家庭受到的沖擊最大，因為食品在他們的總支出中占比更多。

Almost half of households (47%) say they are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent in the coming year, according to new data from financial services provider Legal & General.
英國勵正集團最新數據顯示，近一半的家庭（47%）表示，他們擔心在未來一年無力支付房貸或租金。

The findings, from its Rebuilding Britain Index survey of 20,000 households, also show that 95% have experienced a real-terms pay cut over the last 12 months due to soaring inflation.
“重建英國指數”對2萬戶家庭的調查結果還顯示，由于通貨膨脹飆升，95%的家庭在過去12個月里實際減薪了。

The lowest income groups – those with a household annual income of less than ￡20,000 – are most likely to feel that their quality of life is declining at 29%, compared to 13% in the highest income households.
最低收入群體（家庭年收入低于2萬英鎊的群體）最有可能感到的生活質量下降，下降幅度為29%，而最高收入家庭為13%。

More than half of respondents to the survey said they had reduced day-to-day expenditure in response to rising inflation and costs. And 51% said they expect their spending to have to decrease even further over the next 12 months.
超半數受訪者稱，為應對高通脹和物價持續上漲而減少了日常支出。51%的人表示，他們預計未來12個月的支出將進一步減少。

Inflation is widening the gap between the wealthiest and poorest households, according to L&G’s survey. It found that one in five households have experienced a decline in income, with lower income communities hit the hardest.
根據勵正集團的調查，通貨膨脹正在擴大貧富差距。調查發現，五分之一的家庭收入下降，其中低收入群體受到的打擊最為嚴重。

New research from Nationwide Building Society has revealed that almost four-in-10 (38%) consumers have used credit cards in the last six months to tide them over until payday or benefits payment.
英國全國建筑協會的一項新研究顯示，38%的消費者在過去六個月里使用過信用卡來度過難關，直到發薪日或福利金支付。

The poll of more than 2,000 people across the country also revealed that almost two thirds (63%) are worried about the state of their personal finances and their ability to cover essential costs.
這項針對英國2000多人的民意調查還顯示，63%的受訪者擔心自己的個人財務狀況和支付基本費用的能力。

來源：衛報、福布斯新聞、金融時報
編輯：董靜