Households face gloomy 'vibecession' with food bills expected to remain high

Mr Looney said that food inflation remaining above that of general inflation is merely continuing a trend that has been 'quietly draining household budgets in recent years'.

Households hit by surging grocery prices are facing a gloomy "vibecession", and must expect food bills to remain permanently higher into the future, it has been warned.

It comes as the latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show many staples are continuing to rise at a rate far higher than general inflation, with the likes of beef up 23.7%, poultry 8%, and eggs 5.7%, compared to the same time last year.