Why dental floss and kippers explain your rising post-Brexit shopping bill

Supermarkets know consumers are sensitive to price rises of staple items such as milk. So they have increased the cost of less regular items in the hope that people won't notice

If your weekly shopping bills seem to be going up, even though the price of a pint of milk is holding steady, there is a good reason for that. According to industry watchdogs, British supermarkets have responded to Brexit-induced inflation and the weaker pound by quietly hiking the cost of less regular purchases such as light bulbs, water filters and dental floss.

According to the Office of National Statistics, food prices rose in annual terms for the first time in almost three years. Comparison website MySupermarket.co.uk compiled data from Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Ocado and Morrisons and found that, while milk stood still at 1 for four pints everywhere, the cost of an exotic fish supper has increased markedly since last October.

Related: Rising food and fuel prices hoist UK inflation rate to 2.3%