Rising price of jam, peanut butter and Marmite puts toast lovers in a sticky situation

TOAST lovers are facing hefty hikes as the cost of their favourite spreads, including jam, peanut butter and Marmite are on the rise.

Data from analysts Brand View shows that the average price of toast spreads are up 5 per cent across 755 products in the big four supermarkets and Waitrose over the past year - and the biggest hikes happened in December.

The price increases are due to higher raw material and manufacturing costs due to the weak pound, according to The Grocer.

The trade magazine revealed that supermarket shoppers now face paying more for nut butters, jams and other popular toast spreads earlier this week.

This includes a 340g jar of Sun-Pat Peanut Butter Smooth which has gone up by 31 per cent to £2 and a same-size jar of Whole Earth Foods Organic Smooth Peanut Butter, which is up 12 per cent to £2.67.

While the price of jam, marmalade and and honey is also rising. Hartley’s Best Strawberry Jam is up 11 per cent to £1.43, while Robertson’s Golden Shred Marmalade 454g is 19 per cent to £1.39.

The price of Rowse Pure and Natural Clear Honey, 340g is also up 14 per cent to £2.76.

Marmite-lovers also face paying more too. For example, the 125g jar of Marmite Original is 3 per cent higher on average at £1.71, while the 500g jar is up by 9 per cent.

While 250ml jar is actually down 2 per cent on average, despite prices going up briefly last year.

According to Kantar Worldpanel, jam and marmalade sales are already down 2 per cent as Britons cut sugar and eat less bread.

The Grocer said: “Prices are also up in savoury spreads, but the sweet stuff seems less likely to be able to push through price rises and deliver growth.”

"Nut butters, meanwhile, have delivered the category's strongest growth despite seeing the greatest average price rise of 6.2per cent. Brits have eaten an extra 1.1 million kilos of the stuff."

Ian Ainsworth, the managing director of Rowse Honey told the magazine: "Due to rising prices of raw materials, as well as unprecedented shifts in currency values since the referendum on European Union membership, our costs in sterling have risen.

A spokesperson from Marmite-maker Unilever, said: “Any decision to raise cost prices is never taken lightly and only after we have absorbed as much of the cost pressures as we can ourselves.

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