Supermarket giant Aldi is no longer the UK's cheapest supermarket. Another major supermarket has taken the top spot, and surprisingly, it's not Lidl.
The news comes after Aldi sent a bus around rival supermarkets to pick up shoppers, which was adorned with signs stating it was the Which? cheapest supermarket of 2022. Now one of Aldi's rivals, which was affected by the stunt, has been named the UK's cheapest.
It is the first month of 2023, and our sister site WalesOnline's monthly survey of food prices has found that the shopping bill went up in all of the main supermarkets between December and January. At one supermarket the price increase for seven items was more than £1.
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Grocery price inflation is the driving factor behind the increase. A survey from the British Retail Consortium that was out this week showed that overall food inflation averaged 13.3% in December.
The latest figures from consumer group Which? that were published in January showed the Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in 2022. But on WalesOnline'slist of supermarkets it is once again the fourth cheapest, coming after Tesco in first place if you use your clubcard, Lidl in second and Asda third.
The shopping list of seven items - milk, bread, eggs, cheese, spaghetti, apples and breakfast cereal - was more expensive in all seven supermarkets on the list and had increased by £1.06 in a month at Sainsbury's. All the bills are also more than £10 for the first time since we started our own survey in March last year.
Tesco was the cheapest for the first time (£10.78), coming in 1p cheaper than Lidl and 25p cheaper than Asda, Aldi was fourth cheapest at £11.06 compared to £10.78 at Tesco if you use the clubcard to get the cheap cheese deal.
At most of the supermarkets there was a lack of eggs with the majority having restrictions on how many packs you can buy. The price of eggs at Aldi increased from £1.19 in December to £1.55 in January, and there was very limited stock.
Spaghetti seems to have remained around the same price but there were some shortages in the shops that Wales Online visited. The Which? figures for 2022, which are based on their monthly comparison, found that Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in their analysis for seven out of 12 months in 2022, more than any other supermarket.
Lidl wasn't far behind, coming out cheapest in the first five months of the year. Across the seven months that Aldi was awarded 'cheapest supermarket of the month', the average difference was £1.59 compared to Lidl.
They also found that the price of budget items rose 20.3% on average in December, compared with the same month a year before, according to research from the consumer group Which?, while supermarkets’ luxury ranges rose 12.6% and the price of branded items went up 12.5%.
Price hikes for grocery staples including butter and spreads, milk and cheese were much bigger, according to the Which? survey – up 29%, 26% and 22% respectively, across all supermarket chains. Bakery items were up 19.5% and savoury pies, pastries and quiches rose 18.5%.
Sue Davies, the head of food policy at Which?, said: “Some households are already skipping meals to make ends meet and our findings show trust in supermarkets taking a hit as many people worry they are putting profits before the people suffering during this cost of living crisis.
“Supermarkets must do more, Which? is calling for them to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, particularly in areas where people are most in need.”
The shopping bill for January
Here is how the different shops compared with cheapest to most expensive:
1. Tesco
Six free range eggs - £1.55 (don from £1.75)
Mature cheddar - £2.70 clubcard price (down from £2.75)
Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (up from £1.25)
500g of spaghetti - 28p (same price)
One loaf of white sliced bread -£1.35 (up from £1.25)
Six Braeburn apples - £1.60 (up from 79p with clubcard)
Breakfast cereal - £2 (same price)
TOTAL: £10.78 with club card (up from £10.07)
2. Lidl
Six free range eggs - £1.30 (up from £1.19)
Mature cheddar - £3.49 (up from £2.69)
Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (same price)
500g of spaghetti - 28p (same price)
One loaf of white sliced bread - £1.25 (up from £1.19)
Six Braeburn apples - £1.29 (same price)
Breakfast cereal - £1.99 (same price)
TOTAL: £10.79 (up from £9.93)
3. Asda
Six free range eggs - £1.30 (down from £1.75)
Mature cheddar - £2.90 (down from £3)
Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (same price)
500g of spaghetti - 28p Just Essentials (same price)
One loaf of white sliced bread - £1.35 (up from £1.20)
Six Braeburn apples - £1.50 (up from 99p)
Breakfast cereal - £1.95 (same price)
TOTAL: £11.03 (up from £10.47)
4. Aldi
Six free range eggs - £1.55 (up from £1.19)
Mature cheddar - £2.69 (same price)
Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (same price)
500g of spaghetti - 79p (same price)
One loaf of white sliced bread - £1.25 (same price)
Six Braeburn apples - £1.49 (up from £1.29)
Breakfast cereal - £1.99 (same price)
TOTAL: £11.06 (up from £10.50)
5. Marks & Spencer
Six free range eggs - £2.30 (same price)
Mature cheddar - £2.90 (same price)
Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (same price)
500g of spaghetti - 95p (same price)
One loaf of white sliced bread -85p (same price)
Six Braeburn apples - £1.90 (up from £1.75)
Breakfast cereal - £1.85 (up from £1.50)
TOTAL: £12.05 (up from £11.55)
6. Sainsbury's
Six free range eggs - £1.30 (same price)
Mature cheddar - £4.20 (up from £2.75)
Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (same price)
500g of spaghetti - 56p (down from 95p)
One loaf of white sliced bread - £1.30 (same price)
Six Braeburn apples - £1.70 (same price)
Breakfast cereal - £2 (same price)
TOTAL: £12.36 (up from £11.30)
7. Morrisons
Six free range eggs - £1.29 (up from £1.25)
Mature cheddar - £3.99 (up from £3.25)
Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (up from £1.30)
550g of spaghetti - 95p (up from 89p)
One loaf of white sliced bread - £1.49 (up from £1.40)
Six Braeburn apples - £1.59 (down from £1.89)
Breakfast cereal - £1.99 (up from £1.70)
TOTAL: £12.60 (up from £11.63)
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