By David Milliken
LONDON, March 13 (Reuters) - Frozen berries used to
blend home-made smoothies are in, while alcopops at the pub are
out, according to Britain's annual update of the goods and
services used to calculate consumer price inflation (CPI) data.
The changes set out on Monday by Britain's Office for
National Statistics (ONS) offer an insight into shifts in the
public's spending choices as tastes and technology change.
The ONS said it will no longer collect prices for small
digital cameras or some types of compact disc or DVD, as more
Britons use their mobile phones to take photos and stream music
and video.
However, battery-powered electric bikes and home security
cameras similar to Amazon's Ring video doorbells will join the
index, the ONS said.
"The impact of mobile phone technology continues to resonate
with the removal of CDs and digital cameras from our basket,
reflecting how most of us listen to music and take pictures
straight from our phones these days," ONS statistician Mike
Hardie said.
Inflation is high on the public's agenda, after surging
energy prices pushed CPI to a 41-year high of 11.1% in October.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday that controlling
inflation would be one of the main themes of finance minister
Jeremy Hunt's annual budget this Wednesday.
The ONS will also massively expand the number of rail fares
it checks to calculate average price rises. In future it will
use an industry database with 30 million price points rather
than an index calculated by a regulator.
In total, the ONS said it was adding 26 items to the CPI
basket and removing 16, while 717 will be left unchanged.
Among the additions are tortilla wraps, green beans, men's
belts and mouthwash. Leaving the index are cooking apples and
super-king-size cigarettes - though other types of apple and
cigarette will remain.
(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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