According to Johnny Stern, director of mySupermarket, Britons are increasingly finding that food prices are on the up. This was partially attributed to recent poor weather conditions resulting in a bad crop of various goods and causing a shortage in supply. Meanwhile, it was asserted that overall rise in demand has meant and that in particular "basic products" have gone up.

He said: "On the one hand you've got increased demand for a lot of these basic products and - on the other hand - from the supply side you've got a shortage of supply due to a bad crop of various products, due to certain weather conditions and it's the combination of the demand reasons and the supply reasons which has caused the increase in the price of basic products - a double whammy effectively."

Furthermore, it was stated that the continued rise in oil prices is impacting upon food values. An example of this has come about because of the rising cost of transporting goods to retails outlets. Here retailers were indicated as shifting the impact of surging transport costs on to the consumer. Meanwhile, it was stated that as oil prices grow, more time is being dedicated towards research into alternative resources. And although at first people might assume that this means food prices will fall, Mr Stern pointed out that this is not the case. It was claimed that various staple food products are now not only being sought after to be eaten but are also being used as an alternative energy source, something which again drives up demand and costs for such produce.

Following on from price increases - not only in food but also in areas such as petrol - it may be possible that Britons find themselves struggling with greater difficulty to manage with the numerous constraints on their spending. This may mean that making repayments on mortgages and loans, meeting the cost of household bills and transport expenses also become harder to cope with.

Mr Stern Commented after Verdict's latest research indicated the the "typical shopping basket" of 100 products was 5.8 per cent more expensive in May compared to the beginning of this year. It was also reveled in the company's study that the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables has increased 16 per cent this year, with dairy goods showing a growth of.2 per cent. However, it appears that consumers may see the cost of grocery shopping impacting more heavily on their spending as it was stated food price inflation will be strong over the remainder of this year and into 2009.

In the face of rising food costs, those consumers concerned about their ability to manage their money over the coming months might wish to consider taking out a low rate loan. By doing so it may be possible borrowers can meet numerous financial constraints at once, leaving them with a single affordable monthly repayment to make. Getting a loan for the intentions of supplementing spending as living costs surge could also be recommended after TheEnergyShop reported that price rises by Britain's six major energy providers saw the typical utilities bill increase by 14 per cent during the first few months of this year.