An outline history of British food prices, 1900–1980

Unfree Again: Social Reproduction, Flexible Labour Markets and the Resurgence of Gang Labour in the UK

“…Nevertheless, the downward trends in both food prices, and relative expenditure on food, have been noted. Peters (1980:3) points out that, in 1900, “though Britain was geared to pursuit of a cheap food policy, in sharp contrast to her major continental neighbours … the most dramatic reductions in production cost had yet to occur … in 1900 food was about 50% dearer relative to other goods than in 1970, or some 37% dearer using the alternative index”. Data from the British Family Expenditure Survey show a similar trend after 1970: between 1974 and 2000–2001, household expenditure on food and alcoholic beverages fell from 24% (of total expenditure) to 16%, and the value of average weekly expenditure (in 2001 prices) from £68.80 to £61.90 (Down 2002).…”

“…Identifying trends in food prices, never mind their determinants, is clearly complex [as Peters (1980) illustrates in his discussion of food prices in the 1970s in relation to British domestic policy, the EEC, and global trends). What is clear, however, is that the generalised trend towards proportionally lower household expenditure on food has been concomitant with a number of interrelated macro processes.…”