U.K. Adds Canned Cocktails, Resuable Bottles to CPI Basket

(Bloomberg) --

Cocktails in a can, vegetable crisps and reusable bottles are the latest additions to the basket of goods the U.K. statistics office uses to calculate inflation.

In its annual update to the selection of goods, the Office for National Statistics responded to changing British tastes by also including gluten-free cereal. Frozen chicken breasts and individual fruit pies were removed.

“The inclusion of the reusable bottle/mug in particular reflects environmental concerns to move away from single-use plastic to more sustainable items,” ONS senior statistician Philip Gooding said. “Vegetable crisps are added for the first time as we see a trend towards healthier eating.”

The nation’s inflation rate stood at 1.8% in January, below the Bank of England’s 2% target. The next release is due on March 25.

Below is a table of the changes made:

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To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Gordon at pgordon6@bloomberg.net, Alaa Shahine, Andrew Atkinson

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