Cage eggs removed from the official British shopping basket

Battery eggs have been removed from the official British shopping basket used to calculate inflation rates and replaced with free-range eggs for the first time since 1947.

Animal welfare campaigns by celebrity chefs and media reports appear to have influenced consumer shopping habits. Now large cage eggs have been substituted by large free-range eggs.

Rotisserie chicken is also making an appearance in the shopping basket reflecting shoppers changing tastes towards takeaway food.

The official basket is used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to calculate inflation rates throughout the UK.

The ONS keeps the basket up to date with consumer patterns, collecting a wide range of prices each month to determine how much people need to live the average lifestyle.