How Your Christmas Tree Impacts Your Home’s Air Quality

Posted on 12/12/2022 by Boris Clair

Few things are more Christmassy than the smell of pine and fir, which is often the happy result of buying a real Christmas tree. For many, the smell is a true sign of the season. For others, it can be irritating — which is why some people opt for artificial trees as an alternative.

Either way, putting up your festive Christmas tree may tinker with your home’s air quality, according to experts.

Dustin Poppendieck, an environmental engineer in the indoor air quality and ventilation group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, said that both real and artificial trees can emit chemicals for weeks, a month or even beyond (for artificial trees that are stored in your home all year). And while it’s likely nothing to be overly alarmed about, it’s still worth knowing what’s going down when you’re putting your tree up.

While there isn’t too much research on exactly how much emission both kinds of trees actually create, Poppendieck said there is adjacent research that can inform just what might be happening to our home’s air when these trees are brought inside. Here’s how both real and artificial Christmas trees impact your home’s air:

Real Christmas trees emit a mix of volatile organic compounds.

The pleasant pine scent that your Christmas tree gives off is actually due to a release of a mix of different volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, according to Bryan Cummings, a research scientist in Drexel University’s College of Engineering. Specifically, most of these compounds are known as pinenes and they are what gives the Christmas tree its distinct odour; the same goes for products like pine-scented floor cleaners.

For some people, VOCs can cause minor respiratory irritation when inhaled, he added. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, VOCs can cause irritation to your eyes, nose and throat, and can also cause headaches.

While these side effects may be seen in some people, Cummings does not think VOCs from a Christmas tree will have a large impact on the general public’s health either short-term or long-term when compared to all of the items that release VOCs all throughout the year. But, he added that people who are sensitive to irritants of this nature — like people with asthma or certain allergies — may feel extra irritation when they have a Christmas tree in their home.

With a real Christmas tree, you’re also bringing in potential mould and other outdoor contaminants.

Beyond the chemical reaction a real tree could have on the air in your home, “when you’re bringing a tree, you’re bringing in a microbial community in addition to the tree,” Poppendieck said.

In other words, that tree could be offcasting irritants that could potentially trigger asthma or allergies, he added. These irritants can include mould and pollen, according to IQ Air, an air quality group based in Switzerland.

Additionally, Poppendieck noted that any spills when watering a real tree could lead to mould growth, too. Or, if your tree has mud on it, the mud may have additional irritants that can permeate the air.

As for artificial trees, the plastics used to create them may also impact your home’s air.

While many people with severe allergies turn to fake Christmas trees for their holiday cheer, Cummings said these trees, too, may make a mark on your home’s air quality.

“These artificial trees, they contain plastics and PVCs [polyvinyl chloride], and one of the major plasticisers in these materials are phthalates,” Cummings said. Additionally, he said that artificial trees also contain flame retardants.

When it comes to flame retardants, “some of the compounds might be neurotoxins or carcinogens with long-term exposure,” he said.

And when it comes to phthalates, “those are thought to be mostly endocrine disruptors,” which are chemicals that could interfere with your body’s hormones. “There’s lots of research going on in the indoor air quality community especially around phthalates because they’re one of those forever chemicals,” he added. Forever chemicals are manmade chemicals that don’t break down, and as a result, stick around for hundreds and hundreds of years.

What’s more, while they can evaporate into a home’s air, which means you can breathe them in, they can also stick to your hands or other products, giving them the ability to be ingested further and can even go directly into your bloodstream after skin contact, Cummings noted.

“I say that’s a bigger health concern than potential exposure to pine-scented terpenes,” he said.

The plastics used in artificial Christmas trees can migrate throughout a home and eventually end up in your home's dust. — The plastics used in artificial Christmas trees can migrate throughout a home and eventually end up in your home’s dust.

All of that said, your artificial tree isn’t the only contributing factor when it comes to plastic contamination.

“I also want to say: How many other plastic products do you bring into your home?” Cummings said. Between plastic water bottles, plastic appliances, plastic toys and plastic decor — the answer is probably a lot.

“Are the artificial trees the major source of this pollution? Probably not,” Cummings said.

Additionally, Poppendieck pointed out that “phthalates are commonly found in house dust” beyond the Christmas season. So, no matter what plastics you’re bringing in, the same pollution pattern is happening.

“We know it’s moving from the plastics in our home to the dust,” Poppendieck said.

If you are someone who is very concerned about phthalates and plastics in general, you should avoid artificial trees, Cummings noted. But, if you have many other plastic items in your home, one Christmas tree is not going to change anything.

This is not a cause for panic. Both experts still have Christmas trees.

While both experts said they limit (or do not use) scented home products like scented detergents, body soap and cleaning items, they both have Christmas trees in their homes.

“There’s an emotional attachment that I grew up with,” Poppendieck said, “I like the smell, I like the ambiance and the psychological value.”

He added that when it comes to any indoor air quality topic, you have to balance the physical health impacts with the psychological impact. If your Christmas tree brings you joy, you should not stop getting one to protect your home’s air quality (unless you are one of the few people who deal with severe respiratory reactions) if your home is full of other air quality risk factors, too.

Both experts added that there are many other things in our homes — other plastic items, scented cleaners, candles and gas stoves — that also impact the air we breathe.

There is not enough research to know exactly how much Christmas trees affect our home’s air quality, but Poppendieck said he would be surprised if Christmas trees were a huge risk and would also be surprised if there was zero risk.

If you want to better your indoor air quality, there are things you can do.

Cummings said you should always follow indoor air quality best practices, whether you are bringing a tree in or taking one out.

“So, things I always like to do — clean with soap and water instead of harsh chemicals whenever possible, limit the use of scented products [and] you can always open a window to clear out some of these indoor pollutants,” he said.

You can also use HEPA filters in your home, which “clear out indoor particles and dust,” Cummings noted.

Poppendieck added if you’re really concerned about emissions from either a real or artificial tree, you can set the tree up outside or in a garage before bringing it into your home. This will help lessen the initial indoor emission. But, this step is probably only necessary for those who’ve had historical reactions to trees, he said. It isn’t necessary for the average person.

Beyond air quality issues, remember real Christmas trees are a fire hazard.

“Whenever we talk about indoor air quality, we need to talk about relative risk and how dangerous is a Christmas tree compared to the other things that we do,” Poppendieck said.

He stressed that real Christmas trees have the potential to burn. It’s crucial that you keep your tree watered and remove it from your house when it dies.

This will help reduce the risk of fire when it comes to your real tree, which, Poppendieck said, far outweighs any indoor air quality issues.

Has Secondhand Gifting Finally Become Acceptable This Christmas?

Posted on 10/12/2022 by Boris Clair

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, a time where people come together to meet, eat and have an excuse to swap presents. But Brits are more likely to be concerned with rising bills than what to get their mate for Christmas.

Inflation in the UK reached 11.1% last month, a level not seen since October 1981. The price of your average grocery bill is still sky-high, up 14.6% compared to this time last year. Not to mention high interest rates on loans, plus expensive energy and fuel costs all contributing towards the cost of living crisis.

And it’s not just money that’s on our minds. Gifts can have a huge impact on the environment. The production, transport and even the marketing of Christmas presents all contribute towards the extraction of raw materials and greenhouse gas emissions. We also use large amounts of paper to wrap presents, which can contribute to an increase in solid waste production.

But, there’s a cheaper, greener way for people to buy their loved ones Christmas presents: secondhand gifts.

For a lot of people, the idea of buying our friends and family a gift from a charity shop feels odd. Will I offend someone if I buy them a second hand gift? Will the gift be in good condition? What will I do if they want to return it? But, 38% of people said they had gifted someone a secondhand item over the past 12 months, according to a survey from Vinted.

Another 65% of people said they would consider gifting someone a secondhand item in the next 12 months.

The notion of buying secondhand gifts isn’t new to everyone though. Stasia Brewczynsk, who is a 34-year old account director at District One Studios, has been receiving and giving them for years. She thinks there’s nothing wrong with being upfront about where your gift came from.

“As a kid, one of my mum’s favourite Christmas gifts was a beautiful hand-me-down black and rainbow wool blanket her grandmother crocheted, originally for another relative who passed away prior to my mum receiving it,” Brewczynsk shares.

“A couple years ago, my mum gifted it to me. Secondhand gifts are a family tradition!”

Brewczynsk explains that there are so many great reasons to give secondhand gifts. “It can be more cost-effective and sustainable than buying new. You can find unique items that were made to last and offer a sense of charm, story, or history. It can help take the pressure off gift reciprocation,” she adds.

She shares that she managed to give her friend’s children new-in-package secondhand toys. “I would not have otherwise been able to afford such an extravagant set of gifts, or have been comfortable unintentionally setting an expectation of reciprocation,” she says.

“And bonus: since as households we both try to limit purchasing new plastic items, which can be in conflict with the kids’ fondness for robot toys which are often made of plastic, secondhand is a great way to make giving something that’s less sustainable, a little more sustainably.”

Maya Matava, who is an 18-year-old university student from the US, says they enjoy buying secondhand gifts for their friends, as there’s a certain level of care and attention that goes into buying secondhand gifts which makes them feel a lot more personal.

“A lot of the secondhand gifts I’ve bought have been received really well,” Matava says. “Most of the gifts I buy secondhand are collectibles or items that are otherwise difficult to buy new (some recent examples include Broadway Playbills, vintage postcards, and, on a more specific note, ceramic pie birds).”

Due to the type of secondhand gifts they try to buy, Matava usually shops in local antique and thrift shops. “But I will also shop on eBay if I have trouble finding something in local stores.”

Rory Gillet, who is a 32-year old SEO Consultant from Warminster, Wiltshire, says he and his partner use resale sites like Vinted throughout the year, “so why buy only new at Christmas?”

“There are so many good secondhand products out there, it really isn’t necessary to buy a lot of things new,” he says. “I first thought it would be a cool Christmas challenge with a friend to see what we could buy for each other from the platform with a max spend of £50.”

“Since then I have had a child and we buy most of her clothes and quite a lot of her toys secondhand. So when looking for a specific present for my niece, I started on Vinted and found the perfect drum.”

This is the second Christmas that Gillet will be buying secondhand gifts. “I didn’t last year, as I couldn’t find what I was looking for online or in charity shops. But this year I have managed to find three great gifts – all on Vinted,” he adds.

So, where do you start if you want to buy secondhand gifts this Christmas?

From Natacha Blanchard, consumer lead at secondhand shopping platform Vinted, has a few suggestions:

Start looking for gifts as early as you can to provide ample time for finding more unique items. No time is too early, since items tend to be available all-year-round.
Create and share wish lists with friends and loved ones to prevent a collection of wasteful, unwanted gifts building up at the end of the year. You can maintain this list all-year-round, so there’s no rush to add items come gifting season. You can also do this if you are open to receiving pre-owned gifts – let your friends know your intention and share your list of “favourited” items on your favourite secondhand shopping platform.
When buying a pre-owned gift, ask your seller if there’s a story behind the item or reason why they’re selling it. They might have a really funny or poignant story that you could then share with your gift recipient to make that pre-owned gift a little bit more special.
Children grow out of their clothing so quickly that quite often, clothes are lucky if they are worn more than once, if at all. As a result, there is a great selection of pre-owned kids clothing and toys on secondhand platforms that you could purchase for gifting. And don’t forget pets! You can pick up great pre-owned clothing, accessories and toys for pets too.

Christmas doesn’t need to be expensive and it really is true what they say: it’s the thought that counts. Buying a secondhand gift shouldn’t be an act of shame, but rather a way to save the planet whilst being more intentional about what to get your love ones.

To avoid any awkwardness later down the line, be upfront about where you sourced your gift from. In fact, shout it from the rooftops! It’s time we all celebrated secondhand.

How To Avoid An All-Out War When The Grandparents Disagree With Your Parenting Style

Posted on 09/12/2022 by Boris Clair

When it comes to raising kids, everyone wants to share their two cents on what the best way to do it is – and that often includes grandparents.

And whether you’re a new parent who’s still finding their feet, or a seasoned pro who’s mastered the art of caring for multiples, it can be hard not to get upset when someone criticises what you’re doing, or goes against a particular way you want to raise your kids.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, disagreeing over parenting techniques is the most common reason why parents argue with their own parents (aka the grandparents), according to a survey by iHus, which specialises in multigenerational living.

“It is totally normal to have a different parenting style to your own parents,” therapist Siobhan Butt, who is a member of Counselling Directory, tells HuffPost UK.

“You are different people, living at a different time and have a different set of life experiences that inform how you decide to parent.”

The differences in how you parent can come out in all kinds of situations, she suggests, from what you choose to feed your children and how much screen time you allow them, to your political and religious ideology.

The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Michigan asked parents of children aged 0-18 years old about disagreements with grandparents around their parenting choices. Most parents (89%) said their child saw at least one grandparent often or occasionally – and of these, 37% reported minor disagreements with grandparents about their parenting choices, and 6% reported major disagreements.

Two in five parents (40%) said disagreements arose because grandparents were too soft on their children, while 14% said they were too tough.

The most common areas of disagreement were over discipline, meals and snacks, and TV or screen time, followed by manners, health and safety, treating some grandchildren differently than others, bedtime, and sharing photos or information on social media.

If you are finding your parents are doing things that go against how you parent – or they’re making comments about your parenting style that are pretty negative – you’re probably going to have to sit down and have a chat with them about it. Otherwise the resentment is just going to pile up until someone blows a gasket.

“It is always best to have this conversation with them,” says Siobhan Butt, who runs Revive Relationships. “Be open, tell them how you are feeling, make it known that you respect them and appreciate that they have lots of life experience and wisdom to bring, but if you would like advice about a particular situation you will ask them for it.”

Likewise, if you see your parent saying or doing something to your child that you’re not happy or comfortable with – for instance, disciplining them in a certain way – don’t be afraid to pull them up on it.

“Boundaries are so important in this situation, like I said before talk to your parents, be open and honest and let them know what you are uncomfortable with and why,” says the therapist.

But be gentle with them, she warns, as it’s likely they aren’t trying to be malicious and they have the best intentions for you and their grandchildren.

“If you respond to their actions with hostility the situation could escalate and conflict can arise,” she adds.

If you do sit them down for a chat, you might want to remind them that while you respect them and value their input, you are uncomfortable with what they did – and then explain why, says the therapist. Finish the conversation by telling them you would appreciate it if they could not do this in the future.

Of course, sometimes this will fall upon deaf ears. Of those surveyed by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, 43% of parents said they’d asked a grandparent to change their behaviour to be consistent with their own choices or rules and while almost half (47%) found they did make a change, just over a third (36%) said the grandparent agreed to change their ways but didn’t, and 17% said the grandparent flat out refused.

“If it is a boundary that keeps being crossed, try being curious,” says Butt. “What is it that they find so difficult about keeping to this and how can you help them?”

With Christmas just around the corner and families coming together under one roof, tensions can run a little higher than normal – meaning the odds of a rift might be higher too.

If you are feeling a bit tense because of something your parent has done or said to your child – or even about the way you parent – it’s important to recognise this and do something about it. “Just how we can recognise a song within a few seconds of hearing it, we can do this too with our own emotions,” says Butt.

“Before things feel like they are too much and your response turns into a reaction of hostility, take a deep breath, maybe remove yourself from the conversation or say you are feeling uncomfortable and you would appreciate it if the conversation could be changed.

“If difficult conversations normally end in shouting and upset think about the pattern of behaviours that normally happen: what role do you play and what can you do to help change this pattern?”

Grandparents are so important and often have so much to offer to your children – like they did to you when you were growing up (and still often do today). They are also, as writer Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett puts it, “the invisible glue holding our broken childcare system together”. Many will – and do – drop everything to get the chance to spend time with their grandkids.

That’s not to say that sometimes you won’t disagree with what they say or do – and vice versa – but after a heart-to-heart, you can often end up singing from the same hymn sheet. (Or at the very least, the same book.)

In cases where this doesn’t happen, ultimately it’s grandparents who lose out – 15% of parents said they limit the amount of time their child sees some grandparents, and these limitations were far more common when grandparents did not respect parenting choices.

Grocery Prices Have Finally Dipped – What Does That Mean For Christmas?

Posted on 07/12/2022 by Boris Clair

Grocery prices have finally fallen (slightly), but sadly your Christmas dinner still isn’t looking any cheaper.

According to new research from data insights company Kantar, the cost of the traditional Christmas dinner for four people has increased by 9.3% compared to last year, up to £31.

Shoppers will have to spend an additional £60 in December just to buy the same items as last year, too.

But – looking on the bright side – that’s still less than general food bills at the moment.

Groceries overall are 14.6% more expensive than they were 12 months ago (down from 14.7% inflation in October).

This is the first time there’s been any drop at all in price for 21 months, suggesting inflation may finally be easing.

Even so, Kantar has noted that the sale of mince pies and Christmas puddings have fallen year-on-year.

Presumably this is because consumers are cutting down on their seasonal purchases ahead of the official festive periods towards the end of the month.

Interestingly, the football World Cup has not inspired a sudden splurge either.

Take-home beer sales only increased 5% to £230 million – even then Kantar believes this is due to increased prices, rather than a rise in the number of purchases

Discount supermarkets, Aldi and Lidl, have both opened up new stores across the country in the last three months though. An extra 1.5 million households now shop at Aldi compared to 2021.

As head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, Fraser McKevitt, explained: “As we move into the busiest time of the year for supermarkets, there are signs that the pace of grocery price inflation is easing off slightly.”

But, he added that the research shows “just how much rising prices are impacting people at the tills and in their daily lives”.

December is still expected to be the largest ever month for take-home grocery sales as inflation and festive spending kick in.

Supermarkets are set to take more than £12 billion for the first time.

McKevitt added: “We’re seeing yet more evidence of the coping strategies shoppers are adopting to mitigate rising costs, and in particular own-label sales are growing at pace, now up 11.7% year on year.”

He said the cheapest value own-label lines have increased by 46.3% too – but people still want treats around this time of year, triggering the increase in premium own-label sales up by 6.1% to £461 million in November.

We Love Oodie’s Super Soft Wearable Blankets, Especially When They’re On Sale

Posted on 04/12/2022 by Boris Clair

We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Picture this: it’s the Christmas break and you’ve finished work or studies for the holidays – or maybe just the weekend. It’s finally snowing (yep, we might get actually get a White Christmas this year) and you’re sprawled out at one end of the sofa enjoying a festive movie marathon with your BFF or partner curled up on the other, with no intention of moving for hours, unless it’s to dip your hand into a new chocolate selection box.

Perfection? Almost. There’s just one thing missing – an Oodie (or two).

If you’ve not heard of Oodie – aka “the world’s leading wearable blanket” – it’s the ultimate wardrobe must-have this winter. Ok, ok, so it might not be high fashion, but as our heating bills skyrocket, there’s a reason this brilliant hybrid of fleece, blanket, jumper and dressing gown is proving quite so popular.

Essentially, it’s a wearable hug, and perfect for anyone looking for a practical and comfy way to keep snug and warm this winter. And here’s the best part: Oodie is currently offering shoppers the chance to buy an Oodie for you and your favourite person – in the form of the discounted Oodie Twin Pack.

An Oodie comes in just one, oversized size – based on a 6XL – which not only makes for the ultimate comfort and coverage, but also super simple shopping.

It boasts an insulating sherpa fleece lining, as well as an ultra soft exterior of Toastyek flannel fleece, and it’s this magic combo that will give you the warm and fuzzies. This design also features a giant front pocket to protect your hands from the chill, not to mention store your valuables and snacks, and an all important hood to keep your head and neck protected from any draughts. It’s also cruelty free and machine washable, making light work of laundry day.

The Oodie is available in over 40 colourways, including a variety of patterns from foodie to pet prints, tie dye, even your starsign – as well as plain block colours if that’s more your thing.

Not all patterns are included in the deal, fyi, so do double check before you buy. But whether you wear your Oodie to run errands, on a duvet day, working from home, or on winter walks, it’s the one. And now’s your chance to buy two!

The Oodie Twin Pack has been reduced from £178 to just £98, meaning you’ll be spending just £44 per Oodie in this deal. A single Oodie usually retails for £89 (or £69 on sale) so you’re practically getting two for the price of one here.

What we also love about this bundle is that you can select two different Oodie designs – allowing you to mix or match depending on your vibe. Personally, we’re going for pizzas and koalas in our bundle, but that’s how we roll.

This two-pack discount has already been applied on site, but, to claim it, shoppers must enter the discount code “CUSTOM-TWIN” at the checkout.

The deal coincides with Oodie’s Holiday Sale, with select other items on site reduced by £25, as well as great deals on family bundles and six-pack sets if you want to co-ordinate your entire friendship group or family, including your pets. The Kid’s Oodie is also on sale for just £52 in the run up to Christmas!

Fans of the brand can also shop its weighted blanket to warm the cockles this season, as well as the Oodie Robe, pyjamas, hair wraps, slippers and more. As always, these deals won’t last forever, so move quickly to bag a bargain.

Elf On The Shelf: 7 Simple(ish) Ideas To See You Through The Week

Posted on 04/12/2022 by Boris Clair

Admittedly some parents are more into it than others, going to great lengths to build sets involving their naughty elves. Some have even created Instagram accounts devoted to the mischievous elves running riot in their homes.

Meanwhile others are a little more laidback about the whole affair.

If you’re stuck for inspiration, we’ve scoured Instagram to find some relatively simple – but still creative – elf on the shelf ideas.

1. Frying eggs

2. Mummified

3. Grating a snowman’s nose

4. Doodling on bananas

5. Watching the World Cup

6. Making snow angels

7. Causing chaos in the loo

This Is Officially The Cheapest Supermarket To Buy Christmas Dinner From In 2022

Posted on 01/12/2022 by Boris Clair

With the cost of living crisis in full swing and with no sign of it slowing down, many of us will be thinking about how to save on Christmas dinner this festive period.

Fortunately, the consumer watchdog Which? has done the hard work for us and looked at the cheapest supermarket to buy your Christmas dinner from this year.

The team have crunched the numbers, to find out how much 10 popular Yuletide foods cost at five of the biggest UK supermarkets – and you might be surprised by who has come out on top with the cheapest dinner.

Which? analysed the prices of 10 popular Christmas table items – including a frozen medium turkey crown and sides of sprouts, potatoes, parsnips, red cabbage, carrots, cranberry sauce, stuffing and a Christmas pudding – between November 26-28.

Out of the ‘big five’ supermarkets, Asda bagged the cheapest supermarket spot with a festive feast of 10 popular Christmas foods costing just £30.72.

Meanwhile Tesco came in second as the next-cheapest supermarket (£32.07).

Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket in the analysis at a less-than-merry £43, making it £12.28 more expensive than Asda for the same basket of items. Here’s the full list here:

Asda £30.72
Tesco £32.07
Sainsbury’s £35.57
Morrisons £37.21
Waitrose £43

But what about Lidl and Aldi, you may ask?

As Aldi and Lidl don’t stock quite the same range of items as other supermarkets, Which? didn’t include them in the full Christmas dinner analysis.

But in a smaller festive basket, they compared the prices of seven Christmas table favourites, including turkey, potatoes, parsnips and sprouts.

Aldi was the cheapest for their stocking-full of groceries at £22.30. It was neck and neck with rival Lidl, who came in just 14p more expensive on the same festive items.

When it comes to your centre-piece for the big day, Aldi and Lidl are the cheapest supermarkets for a frozen turkey crown this Christmas, costing £15.49 at both discounters. Asda is the cheapest of the bigger supermarkets at £16.50.

At Waitrose the equivalent turkey is nearly an eye-watering £10 more expensive than at Aldi and Lidl at £25.

Reena Sewraz, Which? Retail Editor, said: “Soaring inflation will be a worry to many households celebrating Christmas this year and our price analysis shows a turkey crown could cost 26 per cent more than last year depending on where you shop.

“The good news is you can still save a packet on your festive lunch and we’ve found Aldi, Lidl and Asda all offer good value for your roast turkey and sprouts.”

Here’s How Much Your Food Bill Has Gone Up (Again)

Posted on 30/11/2022 by Boris Clair

The price of your average grocery bill has increased again – this time to a new high of 12.4% just ahead of Christmas.

The price of food has been one of the primary drivers of the cost of living crisis, along with the soaring energy bills.

Now, new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) shows that food inflation has increased from 11.6% last month to 12.4% for November – a new record since the stats started being collected back in 2005.

The current rate of food inflation is 7.4% higher than this time last year, too.

The BRC-Nielsen IQ Shop Price Index has also revealed that fresh food has climbed in price by the largest amount – last month, it was 13.3% inflation, now it is at 14.3%.

Eggs, dairy and meat have been some of the largest drivers of the increase in cost. Coffee prices have climbed too, due to high input costs.

The BRC also predicted that winter will look “increasingly bleak as pressures on prices continue unabated”, even though the Bank of England has predicted that they may start to fall again in 2023.

Food inflation is one of the primary drivers of the cost of living crisis

According to PA news agency, Mike Watkins, the head of retailer and business insight at NielsenIQ said: “WIth prices still rising, the cost of Christmas will be higher this year and shoppers will be managing their budgets more closely than at any time since the start of the cost of living crisis.

“Retailers are now responding by offering seasonal savings and price cuts and will be hopeful of an uptick in shopper spend as we move into December.”

This news comes as the UK is now in recession – according to chancellor Jeremy Hunt – while Europe’s energy crisis continues to hang over the general public as temperatures drop this winter.

The governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, also warned in August that people were going to see an “apocalyptic” rise in prices.

According to market research company Kantar, the average household was already facing a £643 climb in their annual grocery bill to £5,625 if they were to carry on buying the same items last month.

These new stats show food inflation is actually higher than the average inflation rate right now, as this stands at 11.1%.

The chair of Marks & Spencer, Archie Norman, said back in May that one of the reasons food prices are rising so much is because of the supply chain issues and surging energy costs triggered by the Ukraine war.

“What’s happening is global prices are rising, it’s not to do with UK food so much as the effect of freight costs, wheat prices, oil and energy prices knocking onto almost everything,” Norman explained.

“As a consequence, all food retailers in the UK are – because we operate on very thin margins – going to have to reluctantly allow some food price inflation to run through the system.”

Your Least Favourite Celebration Has Been Ditched From Some Boxes This Christmas

Posted on 02/11/2022 by Boris Clair

Every Christmas, the same sad chocolates rattle around the almost-empty selection tub as people race to scoff their favourites before anyone else can (shout out Malteaser Teasers).

Now, in a bid to stop its most unloved miniature chocolate going to waste, Mars has announced a major change to its Celebrations boxes and tubs, reports BirminghamLive.

Shoppers at Tesco’s pop-up Christmas markets will now be able to buy limited edition ‘No Bounty’ boxes of the iconic chocolates. According to a survey, the coconut filled chocolate was the least popular in a box of Celebrations with over half (52%) admitting to picking it last – and 32% admitting to throwing them away.

Now, the special Bounty-free boxes will instead come stocked with miniature versions of: Snickers, Mars, Twix, Galaxy, Galaxy Caramel, Milky Way and Malteasers Teasers.

Celebrations senior brand manager Emily Owen said: “Last year, we gave customers the opportunity to return their unwanted Bounty chocolates. Now, off the back of public demand, we’re trialling taking them out of the tub altogether.

“You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. And to those loyal – and secret – Bounty lovers out there, there’s still a chance they’ll make a return after the trial.”

Shoppers can get their hands on a tub in November and December at 40 participating Tesco Christmas Markets.

Winner Of The Christmas Day TV Ratings Contest Revealed

Posted on 27/12/2021 by Boris Clair

Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas special proved a ratings hit, claiming the most viewers outside of the Queen’s festive message.

The Strictly special, which was won by pop star Anne-Marie, was watched by an average of 5.8 million viewers, according to overnight figures from the BBC.

The 30-year-old singer and her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima were victorious after performing a thrilling cha cha, which earned them a perfect score of 40 from the judges.

BBC One secured eight of the top 10 programmes on Christmas Day – with ITV taking eighth and ninth place with episodes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

The Queen’s Christmas broadcast, which was around 10 minutes long and saw her reflect on the death of her husband the Duke of Edinburgh and the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, was watched by 7.4 million viewers on the BBC.

Queen Elizabeth II during her annual Christmas broadcast

Third place went to Call The Midwife with 4.7 million viewers, Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel secured 4.6 million and was fourth, while Blankety Blank took fifth with 4.2 million.

Sixth place was taken by Mary Poppins Returns, the 2018 sequel to the well-loved 1964 film, with 3.7 million viewers, while animated production Superworm was in seventh with 3.34 million.

On ITV, Coronation Street secured 3.25 million viewers and Emmerdale was watched by 3 million.

In 10th place, the festive EastEnders special had an audience of 2.9 million.

BBC One sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys, which usually secures high audience numbers, did not feature in the top 10.

Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, said: “Viewers chose the BBC on Christmas Day and entertained them in their millions, with Strictly taking the top spot.

“Nothing brings the country together at Christmas quite like the BBC, there was something for everyone with the seven most popular programmes across the day that caps off a brilliant year on the BBC, celebrating British creativity where we have delivered hits and award winning work and seen huge audiences come to our shows.

“It’s these moments, in a time of intense competition, that prove that after 99 years the BBC matters more than ever.

“We have an ambitious and exciting year ahead in 2022 to mark our centenary year with an unmissable range of world class content that will celebrate and reflect the unique role the BBC continues to play in the lives of audiences across the UK.”

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