Figures released on Monday by Kantar show grocery inflation hit a record high level for the survey of 12.4%.

Almost one third of shoppers surveyed said they are "struggling" to make ends meet.

Among the items with the fastest price rises were butter, milk and bread, which were 28% more costly than a year ago.

According to Kantar, the cost of the average annual shopping bill will rise from €6,999 to €7,867 if consumers do not make changes to their habits.

Changing habits

The survey suggests that consumers are changing their habits and that the major multiples are reacting to those changes.

Retailer own-label lines saw a 7.2% jump in sales in the latest 12-week survey period.

Value own-label ranges saw the largest increase, now up 23.5% from a year ago.

Of the major retailers, Dunnes continues to maintain top spot with 22.7% of the market, with Tesco and Supervalu not far behind. Aldi and Lidl held about one quarter of the market between them.