The cost of an average shop is one per cent cheaper than last month and might represent the start of a downward trend, according to mySupermarket.co.uk.

While the cost of the nation's trolley still shows an overall increase of eight per cent on this time last year, the cost of the average trolley of shopping has fallen by one per cent in the last month.

The trolley is based on a true average weekly shop of £85 and includes the regular staple products, along with the nation's most regularly purchased grocery items and some non-food items. The prices are an average of the price across Sainsbury's, Tesco and Asda.

A number of fruit and veg products increased significantly in price on last year, according to the research. Broccoli is up from £1.45 to £1.98 (a 37 per cent increase) per kilo, clementines are up 12 per cent in price to £2.38, Golden Delicious Apples rose 17 per cent and carrots increased by 40 per cent on 2008 figures.

The mySupermarket Food Inflation Index shows that the overall rate of annual food and drink inflation has dropped to 2.5 per cent.

Jonny Steel, spokesperson for mySupermarket, said: "This month's figures may finally mean some good news for shoppers as month-on-month the price of a trolley of everyday grocery items has fallen. Overall, currently food inflation is standing at only 2.5 per cent, suggesting we are seeing a return to the lower food prices of last year.

“While the price of staple products is still eight per cent higher than last year, this rate of increase is reducing every month. The price of oil is a useful indicator of the way prices are beginning to come down - prices peaked in November and have fallen steadily since. While the picture at the checkout may be looking brighter for shoppers, there is always room to save money by shopping around and keeping track of the best bargains."

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