It’s the most expensive supermarket in our price comparison for the sixth week running
Our price comparison looks at the cost of a basket of basics in each supermarket(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
A supermarket is still charging 17% more than competitors for an essential item.
We reported last month how Sainsbury’s is now selling its cheapest 500g pack of beef mince for £3.50, significantly more than the £2.99 price at the likes of Morrisons, Asda, Lidl and Aldi. Only Tesco is anywhere close to that price, selling its mince for £3.29.
The mince is one of eight items we’ve tracked the price of at the six main supermarkets since March 2022, along with chicken, beans, bread, butter, tea, coffee and milk.
Back when our comparison first began, Sainsbury’s mince was just £2 a pack, with the likes of Aldi and Lidl (albeit a 25% fat version) selling it for £1.69.
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It means that Sainsbury’s, with an overall bill of £13.90, is the most expensive retailer for the basket of basics for a sixth week running. Tesco is second most expensive, at £13.66.
Sainsbury’s beef mince is 17% more than at most other supermarkets(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Aldi remains the cheapest the eighth consecutive week, with a bill of £13.09, but is just a penny apart from Lidl’s £13.10. Asda is third cheapest at £13.13, followed by Morrisons at £13.55.
We shared last week how the price of tea bags and mince have risen the most since our comparison began, both up by an average of 69% across all the supermarkets during that time. Coffee is also up by an average of 43%, while 300g of chicken breast is up by an average of 15%.
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Last month the British Retail Consortium highlighted rising wholesale beef prices as a key driver behind the inflation rising to 4.5%, particularly impacting fresh meat prices. But it insisted retailers are doing what they can to avoid passing costs on.
While pointing out that there have been industry-wide factors that have influenced the price of beef, a spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “This review of a limited number of products does not reflect the fantastic value our customers will find at Sainsbury’s. We are committed to offering the best possible value across a wide variety of products – whether that’s through our value Stamford Street range, Low Everyday Prices, Aldi Price Match or Nectar Prices.”
Sainsbury’s is the most expensive for the sixth week running(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Despite working out cheapest, Aldi disagrees with our comparison, saying the list doesn’t take into account the difference in quality, insisting, for example, that its own Diplomat Red Label tea bags and its coffee are ‘higher quality’ than the comparative products used. The supermarket says its tins of beans are also heavier than some of the others.
When it comes to meat however, Aldi and Lidl, along with Morrisons, sell a 25% fat pack, whereas the others sell 20% fat, which is seen as better quality.
An Aldi spokesperson said: “Week after week comparisons like this confirm what our customers already know – you make significant savings every time you shop with Aldi, without needing to join a club or show a loyalty card. That’s the great value that our customers count on us to deliver, and it’s why Which? has named us Cheapest Supermarket of the Year for four years running.”
Asda also disagrees and says that our small sample of products does not represent the fuller picture of prices and does not account for its deals. The supermarket says that, across the board, its Just Essentials range is the largest and cheapest available, alongside Aldi’s.
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Aldi
Loaf of white bread 800g – 55p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g – £1.99
Teabags 160 – £1.85
Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 420g tin – 27p
Chicken 300g – £2.25
Mince 500g 25% fat – £2.99
Total £13.09
Aldi is the cheapest for the eighth consecutive week(Image: Manchester Family / MEN)Lidl
Loaf of white bread 800g – 55p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g – £1.99
Tea bags 240 pack – £2.79 / equates to £1.86 for 160
Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 420g tin – 27p
Chicken 300g – £2.25
Mince 500g 25% fat – £2.99
Total £13.10
Asda
Loaf of white bread 800g – 55p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) – £2.28
Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack) – £1.60
Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 410g tin – 28p
Chicken 300g – £2.24
Mince 500g 20% fat – £2.99
Total £13.13
Our comparison looks at the cost of basics at the six main supermarkets (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)Morrisons
Loaf of white bread 800g – 55p
Milk 2 pints – £1.25
Coffee (2 x 100g) – £2.30
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) – £1.80
Savers Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 410g tin – 26p
Chicken 300g – £2.65 for 330, equates to £2.41 for 300g
Mince 500g 25% fat – £2.99
Total £13.55
Tesco
Loaf of white bread 800g – 55p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) – £2.30
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) – £1.80
Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 420g tin – 28p
Chicken 300g – £2.40 for 320g, equates to £2.25 for 300g
Mince 500g 20% fat – £3.29
Total £13.66
Sainsbury’s
Loaf of bread 800g – 55p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g – £2.30
Teabags 160 – £1.85
Salted butter 250g – £1.99
Beans 400g tin – 26p
Chicken 300g – £2.40 for 320g, equates to £2.25 for 300g
Mince 500g 20% fat – £3.50
Total £13.90