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Manchester Evening News

World

Louisa Gregson

I shopped at three supermarkets for items which have seen the biggest price swings this year - and here is where works out cheapest

Aldi Tesco Morrisons James Andrews

Five everyday foods have dramatically increased in price according to new data published by the ONS this week. The research has revealed how the prices of 30 everyday grocery items, from pasta and bread to ketchup and yoghurt, have changed over the past year.

Amid the cost of living crisis, it’s no surprise that a majority of the goods have increased in cost - with five items surging by a whopping 15% or more. However, five food types have also gone down in price since April 2021, including potatoes, cheese and sausages.

With prices varying across the board, and the cost of living crisis leaving millions of households financially stretched like never before, consumers are being told it is important to shop smart by bagging bargains where you can - especially for those items that are surging in price. According to the statistics, the five foods that have seen the biggest rises are pasta (+50%) crisps (+18%) bread (+17%) beef mince (+16%) and rice (+15%).

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The five food types that have actually become cheaper in the past 12 months are potatoes (-14%) chips (-7%) pizza (-5%) cheese (-3%) and sausages (-2%).

James Andrews, Senior Personal Finance Editor at money.co.uk, said: “The cheapest 500g bag of pasta has gone from 36p in 2021, to 53p today, and the cheapest 150g pack of crisps has increased by 12p - up to 83p.

“Elsewhere, 500g of mince has seen the greatest pence increase in total, up to £2.34 from £2.02, while an 800g loaf of (the cheapest) bread is up 7p to 54p. Surging prices don’t mean you have to avoid these items entirely, but it does mean that you need to be careful about when and where you buy them or you could see the cost of your food shop come in higher than expected."

Regarding items that have actually gone down in price James added: "Potatoes are at the top of the list, with a 2.5kg bag down 3p to 84p. Elsewhere, a 900g pack of chips is down by the same amount to £1.16, while a 300g pizza has gone from 99p to 95p."

So, armed with a list of items and benchmark 'cheapest' prices I headed to three local supermarkets - Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco - to see who ranked best on a shopping list made up of the items that have gone up the most in the last year, and the items which have gone down in price over the same period.

In each case I simply looked for the cheapest I could find stocked on the shelves at roughly the sizes given, so occasionally the size of the packet varied, and I went for items priced for all, rather than offers exclusive to loyalty card holders. The supermarkets I visited include Morrisons and Aldi in Whitefield, and Tesco in nearby Prestwich.

In Morrisons the cheapest loaf of bread I could find was a Hovis soft white at £1.20, more than double the cheapest quoted by the research. However, 500g of 12 per cent fat British beef mince was £2.39, which was close to the £2.34 quoted, the cheapest pasta was 75p, so still more expensive than the 53p cheapest benchmark. Meanwhile crisps were £1 - again, more expensive than the 83p I was looking for.

For the items said to have seen a reduction - I found a frozen pizza for 99p, chips at £1.19, sausages were £2 and potatoes were 89. Meanwhile the cheapest cheese was £1.89 and cheapest cheese slices were £1. In total my entire list of items came to: £14.65

Over in Aldi the cheapest loaf of bread I could find was a very economical 36p, but 500g of only 5 per cent fat British beef mince was £2.89, more expensive than Morrisons, but with less fat. Meanwhile, the cheapest pasta - an everyday essentials budget brand, was a very cheap 32p, rice was 45p and crisps were 89p.

When it came to the items which have come down in price I found a frozen pizza for 67p, chips at 99p, sausages at £1.49 and potatoes at 89p. Meanwhile the cheapest cheese was £1.99 and the cheapest cheese slices were £1.29 but had five slices, so less than the eight in Morrisons or the ten in Tesco. In total, my list of items came to: £13.01

Tesco might be thought of as pricier but was still competitive. The cheapest loaf of bread I could find was 65p, 500g of only 5 per cent fat mince was £2.89, the cheapest pasta was 80p, rice was 45p and crisps were £1.

For the items that have gone down in price - I found a frozen pizza for £1.45, chips at £2.00, sausages were surprisingly cheap at 83p and potatoes were 99p. The cheapest cheese was £2.50 and cheapest cheese slices were £2.00 for 10. In total my list of items came to £15.56

Of the three, Aldi once came out the winner, faring well with both goods that have gone up and those that have gone down. Tesco was £2.55 more expensive than Aldi, but surprisingly came in at only 91p more expensive than Morrisons. In all supermarkets a lot of the prices roughly matched the benchmark prices I had been armed with from research.

James Andrews added: “Remember that supermarket own brand items are often similar in quality to big name brands, so it's well worth making a swap. Alternatively, consider bulk buying or shopping at key times for yellow sticker items to keep costs low.

“That’s why, when it comes to doing your weekly shop, you should try to remain flexible with your ingredients to make the most of price cuts and any bargains or discounts you see."

Tesco

Pasta 500g 80p

Crisps 150g £1

Bread 800g 65p

Beef mince 500g £2.89

Rice 1kg 45p

Potatoes 2.5kg 99p

Chips 900g £2

Pizza 330g £1.45

Cheese 400g £2.50

Cheese slices 250g £2

Sausages 454g 83p