Shoppers have become accustomed to price rises over the last year or so, but some supermarkets have been accused of taking advantage of customers by hiking costs more than necessary.
While Morrisons has been in the firing line more than most, we reported earlier this week how Asda has been angering shoppers.
Accused of 'disgusting' price hikes, one dad says he was so shocked by the prices on his recent visit to the supermarket that he walked out and went to Aldi, where his shopping came to £15 less.
Read more: "I did my big shop at 'most expensive' supermarket and can't get over its nonsense pricing"
On one Facebook forum another shopper said 'Asda need to chill with their prices. Wow!" and mum Marie Tutuncu, from Stockport, shared a photo of a 190g tub of Bisto gravy on sale at the supermarket for £3 and said. "Asda is one of the worst supermarkets taking advantage of the cost of living crisis and marking up prices."
So how much have prices risen? I decided to repeat a shop I did at Asda six months ago to see exactly what increases have been made.
It wasn't a huge family shop by any means, but included basics like bread, milk and butter as well as some treats that shoppers are inevitably cutting back on as households are forced to prioritise essentials.
In fact it is those extras that have seen the biggest rises overall, with a pack of Mr Kipling Mini Battenbergs doubling in price - from £1.15 to £2.30 - and a pack of Cadbury Caramel Cake Bars, also doubling, from £1 to £2.
But it's not just those items that have taken a hit since my original shop back in July 2022.
Of the 30 items I bought, 24 have gone up in price - 10 of them by 20% or more. Three have stayed the same and three have reduced - two of them because they're currently on offer.
Heinz products are among the ones to rise the most and we reported last week how it was a similar situation at Morrisons, with a four-pack of beans now selling for £4 at both retailers.
But meat is another product that has seen big increases and in one case the pack has not only become more expensive over time, but smaller too.
Six months ago a 350g pack of chicken breast fillets was priced £2.65 at Asda. Now the size has been reduced to 300g, but costs £3. That's the highest price out of all the six main supermarkets, the lowest being Aldi at £2.25.
Asda's pack of lean beef mince is also up, from £2.90 for a 500g pack to £3.30. And it's previously been criticised for hiking the cost of its cheapest fresh mince, from its budget Just Essentials range, from £1.69 when it first launched, to £1.99 a few months later.
Our weekly shopping comparison, which has been tracking the prices of the same eight products at every supermarket since March, shows that Aldi, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons are all selling the same product for £1.79.
Responding to our article about the dad walking out of Asda in disgust, hundreds of readers shared their views, with many criticising the rises they have seen.
"Every time I go in the prices have gone up," said one reader. "But they think it’s okay and accepted because they have the yellow brand section.
"That’s helpful I’ll admit, but you can’t get everything on it and everything else has gone up, it’s ridiculous. It used to be the best but definitely not now."
Another called out the Asda Rewards scheme, which lets customers build up a cashpot to spend on future shops if they buy certain products.
"One thing I have noticed with Asda is this 'rewards' scheme - they have inflated the price of products, and then give you the difference between the price that they were back in the reward scheme.
"For example cereal was £4 a box, but now it has increased to £4.50 a box, with 50p in your rewards cash pot.
"Whilst I appreciate that this is an equivalent cost, the number of people who aren’t signed up are losing out, meaning that they win."
My July shop came to £54.04 in total, but is now £62.03 - an increase of almost 15%.
Despite complaints about both Morrisons and Asda, recent research from Which? shows that other supermarkets have had bigger price hikes over the last year - with budget retailers Lidl and Aldi both up by more than 20% compared with Asda's 15.4% and Morrisons' 12.9%.
An Asda spokesperson said: "We’re working hard to keep prices in check for customers and remain the lowest-priced major supermarket – a position recognised by Which? in their regular monthly basket comparison which has named Asda as the cheapest supermarket for a big shop every month for the last three years.”
Kraft Heinz says it continues to 'face significantly increased production costs' and is absorbing those wherever it can.
A spokesperson said: "We've unfortunately had to increase our prices to retailers – a measure that continues to remain a last resort.
"To offset some of the pressures consumers are facing, we’re working collaboratively with retailers to offer great value through regular promotions and promotional cycles across a range of our products. We’ve adapted our offer to consumers with different pack sizes, value ranges and lower price points. We are also continuing to look for efficiencies in our operations.
"We remain committed to giving our consumers great tasting and nutritious products without compromising on the quality they know and trust."
Full Asda shop - July 2022 / January 2023 (% increase)
Mr Kipling Mini Battenbergs 5pk £1.15 / £2.30 (100%)
Cadbury 5 Caramel Cake Bars 5pk £1 / £2 (100%)
Chicken Breaded Goujons 270g £1.75 / £2.70 (54.3%)
Heinz Beanz in Tomato Sauce 4x415g £2.89 / £4 (38%)
Tender British Chicken Breast Fillets 350g £2.65 (equated to £2.27 for 300g) / 300g £3 (32.2%)
Heinz Tomato Ketchup 700g £3 / £3.90 (30%)
Broccoli 360g 55p / 69p (25.5%)
6 large free range eggs £1.40 / £1.75 (25%)
Soreen Malt Lunchbox Loaves 5pk £1 / £1.25 (25%)
Warburtons 6 Sliced Soft White Rolls 6pk £1 / £1.20 (20%)
Fusilli pasta 500g 80p / 95p (18.7%)
Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice 400g 38p / 45p (18.4%)
ASDA Wafer Thin Smoked Ham 400g £2 / £2.35 (17.5%)
Marmite Yeast Extract 250g £2.65 / £3.10 (17%)
Sweet & Juicy Sweetcorn Twin Pack 2pk £1.20 / £1.40 (16.7%)
Hovis Thick Soft White Bread 800g £1.20 / £1.40 (16.7%)
Skimmed Milk 4 pint £1.45 / £1.65 (13.8%)
Lean Beef Steak Mince (Typically Less Than 5% Fat) 500g £2.90 / £3.30 (13.8%)
Salted Butter 250g £1.75 / £1.99 (13.7%)
Seedless Red Grapes 400g £1.20 / £1.30 (8.3%)
Kellogg's Coco Pops 295g £1.85 / £2 (8.1%)
Easy Cook Long Grain White Rice 500g 75p / 80p (6.7%)
Nutella Hazelnut & Chocolate Spread 350g £2.75 / £2.90 (5.5%)
Medium Cheddar Cheese 400g £2.85 / £3 (5.3%)
Orange Juice Smooth Carton 1l £1 / £1 (0%)
Tetley Original 80 Tea Bags 80pk £1.90 / £1.90 (0%)
Magnum White Ice Cream 400ml £3.25 / £3.25 (0%)
Garlic & Herb Flatbread 245g £1.55 / £1.25 (offer) (-19.4%)
Lurpak Lighter Slightly Salted Spreadable 500g £5 / £4 (-20%)
Onken Fat Free Apple & Mango Yogurt 450g £1.60 / £1.25 (offer) (-21.9%)
Totals: was £54.04 / now £62.03 (14.8% increase)
Do you shop at Asda? Have you noticed prices increasing more than usual in recent weeks? Have you started shopping elsewhere because of price rises? Let us know in the comments here.
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