ONS now using e-cig refills and craft beers to calculate the rate of inflation

The “hipster” lifestyle of young British consumers has gained official status

Debate over the public health impact of e-cigarettes remains fierce (Reuters)

The “hipster” lifestyle of young British consumers has gained official status with craft beers, e-cigarette refills, music streaming and headphones in the list of products monitored by Whitehall to calculate the rate of inflation.

Frozen pizza, a staple of UK teatimes since the seventies, has been dumped by the Office for National Statistics in favour of fresh chilled pizza. Braising steak has also been removed, along with yoghurt drinks, which have fallen out of fashion. Specialist craft beers go into the basket for the first time after an explosion in the number of microbreweries. And the rise in the number of ex-smokers who now “vape” means the cost of e-cigarette refills will be included in the calculation of the Consumer Prices Index next week.

Changing technology has also influenced the update with the cost of music streaming services such as Spotify and games console online subscriptions added to the list.

However, the rise of smartphone GPS apps means that satnav devices have been dumped a mere eight years after they went in. Mobile phone accessories such as chargers and covers are also being added.

In total, 13 items have been added and eight removed, with the total now standing at 703. The Office for National Statistics collects about 110,000 individual prices each month from 20,000 shops across the UK, as well as a further 70,000 prices online.