All may not be lost in the fight to combat Britain's growing obesity crisis after official recognition yesterday that the fruit smoothie is now a feature of our everyday lives.

National Statistics has included the drink in the basket of 650 goods and services used to calculate the inflation rate in its yearly review of the index.

The trend for healthy eating has also led to the inclusion of peppers and of fruit, such as satsumas and clementines.

Muffins have been added in another sign of the inexorable rise of Britain's café culture.

Frozen vegetarian ready meals, microwave ovens and CD singles were among the items ejected. Sales of CD singles have fallen from 55million in 2000 to only eight million last year.

The changes came ahead of official inflation figures today, which are expected to show that the cost of living has climbed to its highest rate - 2.6 per cent - since April last year. Such an increase would put yet more pressure on the Bank of England, which is facing an increasing clamour for a further cut in interest rates.

National Statistics collects 120,000 prices every month to calculate both the official retail price index and the consumer price index. It changes a dozen items in the basket of goods and services every year to reflect changing lifestyles and consumer spending patterns.

The first basket in 1947 included lard, unskinned wild rabbits, back-laced women's corsets and a gallon of lamp oil. Brussel sprouts, another original entry, were removed by National Statistics a year ago.

Starbucks, Caffè Nero and Costa Coffee have increased the number of fruit smoothies that they sell in recent years, while specialist smoothie chains are also beginning to expand across Britain.

Innocent, the smoothie brand, was the fastest-growing soft drink of 2007 and McDonald's recently extended a controversial trial to stock Innocent's strawberry, blackberry and raspberry smoothies in its fast food restaurants.

Jeffrey Young, managing director of Allegra Strategies, the consultancy, said: “Innocent is now one of the top 100 food brands in the UK and it's come from nowhere. It shows how popular smoothies have become. Supermarkets are selling far more than ever before.

“It also reflects the enormous growth in the coffee bar market. There are 3,000 across the UK today, but we continue to believe this number will double to 6,000 within the next ten years.”

Among yesterday's other changes by National Statistics, 35mm colour film was replaced by portable digital storage media such as memory cards and USB storage sticks used with game consoles and MP3 players.

In a sign that consumers are not completely cutting their links with the past, CDs by classic acts such as Pink Floyd, Madonna and U2 will feature in the inflation figures.

A spokesman for HMV, said that the move reflected the surge in demand for super-group back catalogues, fuelled by comeback concerts by acts such as Led Zeppelin.

“Classic 'back catalogue' albums of such artists as Led Zep, Pink Floyd and The Beatles remain incredibly popular, and continue to sell steadily as a new generation of fans discover their work,” the spokesman said.

“The Chancellor isn't likely to mind too much, as the price of catalogue albums has been coming down. An album will, on average, now retail for under a tenner, when, just a few years ago you would have paid a few pounds more.”

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