No fizz in British shopping

London: Canned fizzy drinks are out and small bottles of mineral water are in, according to Britain's Office for National Statistics (ONS) in its latest annual rejig of the ‘shopping basket' of goods it uses to calculate inflation.

The ONS has also ditched pitta bread in favour of garlic bread and included cereal bars in the basket for the first time, reflecting the increased popularity of the foods. Statisticians base their monthly calculation of consumer price inflation on a basket of 650 items in 12 sectors, including food, clothing, housing and household services, furniture, transport, recreation and culture, and restaurants and hotels.

The basket is updated annually to reflect changing tastes and new products entering the market.

The ONS said it was introducing Blu-ray video players and computer games with accessories to the basket.

That would include games such as Guitar Hero, SingStar and Mario Kart Wii which come with accessories such as plastic guitars, microphones and steering wheels and are part of a growing market for more social computer games. Hair straighteners are replacing hair dryers and lipgloss is taking the place of lipstick in the basket, reflecting the fashion for a more natural look, and powdered baby formula milk is replacing baby foods.