Non-dairy milk has made an appearance in The Office for National Statistics [ONS] ‘inflation basket’ for the first time ever.
A spokesman said that the increase in popularity of dairy-free diets has led to non-dairy milk – such as soya, rice and oat milk – making an appearance on the list it uses to track prices for the first time.
The ONS cited the rise of campaigns such as “Veganuary”, where some people go vegan for a month.
The list is used to calculate CPIH, the headline measure of inflation. On the way out are basic mobile phone handsets as their decline in popularity in the face of smartphones has been ‘making it difficult to collect consistent prices for them’.
Senior ONS statistician Phil Gooding said: “The annual basket review enables us to keep up to date with all the latest trends, ensuring our inflation measures reflect the changing costs experienced by consumers.
Sebastian Burnside, senior economist with RBS, said: “The basket is brought up to date with the inclusion of ‘non-dairy milk drinks’ for which read soya or almond milk. Individual changes to the list may seem small, but they add up to a substantial marker of the way we live over time. Sat Navs joined the list in 2007, but were kicked out in 2015 as phones have expanded their usefulness. DVDs have had a similarly short life.”