The supermarket that was the most affordable for a basket of essentials just two months ago has now become the second most expensive.
After increasing the price of the product by 13% in the last week, Morrisons is now the most expensive. The MEN has been monitoring the price of the same eight staples in six major supermarkets for more than two years, since the cost of living crisis really began to take hold.
In May, Morrisons was the cheapest choice for groceries, which include milk, bread, tea bags, coffee, butter, baked beans, chicken breast and mince. However, the retailer is now the second most expensive for these products after raising the price of its cheapest Savers tea bags from 79p for a pack of 80 to 89p from last week.
READ MORE: We tried cheap cheddar cheese from every supermarket and they all picked the same winner
READ MORE: Shoppers hail ‘holy grail’ hair product as ‘game changer’ against dandruff
This means that the cost of a 160 pack, which is the pack size we compare across all supermarkets, has risen by a shocking 13%. That’s disappointing news for shoppers who were hoping to see an end to the week’s sharp hikes in produce prices.
Lidl remains the cheapest of all retailers with a bill of £12.11, closely followed by Aldi at £12.14 and Asda, just a penny behind for the fifth week in a row, with a bill of £12.18. Sainsbury’s is the fourth cheapest at £12.33, followed by Morrisons, now at £12.47, and the most expensive is Tesco at £12.62.
Aldi disputed the results of our weekly comparison, saying it did not consider its items to be similar products or “higher quality”. For example, Aldi claims its beans are 20g heavier than Sainsbury’s and its tea bags are “higher quality than used comparison products”.
Asda also disagrees with our comparison, stating that our small sample of products does not provide a comprehensive view of prices and does not take its stores into account. The supermarket claims its Just Essentials range is the biggest and cheapest alongside Aldi’s.
Here is the full list:
Lidl
Loaf of white bread 800g – 45p.
2 pints of milk – £1.20.
200g coffee – £1.99.
240 tea bags – £2.79 (equivalent to £1.86 for 160).
250g salted butter – £1.69.
420 g can of beans – 28 p.
300g chicken – £2.35.
500g mince with 25% fat – £2.29.
Total: £12.11.
Aldi
800 g loaf of white bread – 45 p.
2 pints of milk – £1.20.
200g coffee – £1.99.
160 tea bags – £1.89.
250g salted butter – £1.69.
420 g can of beans – 28 p.
300g chicken – £2.35.
500g mince with 25% fat – £2.29.
Total: £12.14.
Asda
800 g loaf of white bread – 45 p.
2 pints of milk – £1.20.
200g coffee (2 x 100g) – £1.98.
160 tea bags (4 x 40 packs) – £1.60.
250g salted butter – £1.69.
410 g can of beans – 27 p.
300g chicken – £2.50.
500g mince with 20% fat – £2.49.
Total: £12.18.
Sainsbury’s
800 g loaf of white bread – 45 p.
2 pints of milk – £1.20.
200g coffee – £1.99.
160 tea bags – £1.89.
250g salted butter – £1.69.
Beans 400 g can – 27 p.
Chicken 300g – £2.35.
Ground 500g 20% ​​fat – £2.49.
Total £12.33.
Morrisons
Loaf of white bread 800g – 45p.
Milk 2 pints – £1.20.
Coffee (2 x 100g) – £1.98.
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) – £1.78 (from £1.58).
Savers Salted Butter 250g – £1.69.
Beans 410g can – 27p.
Chicken 300g – £2.65 for 330g, which equates to £2.41 for 300g.
Minced 500g 25% fat – £2.29.
Total £12.47 (up from £12.27).
Tesco
Loaf of white bread 800g – 45p.
Milk 2 pints – £1.20.
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) – £1.98.
Teabags 160 (2 x 80 packs) – £1.88.
Salted Butter 250g – £1.69.
Beans 420 g can – 28 pages
Chicken 300g – £2.65.
Ground 500g 20% ​​fat – £2.49.