A supermarket under fire for increasing prices in its cheapest range has hiked the price of another budget basic.
Last week Asda was criticised for increasing the price of coffee in its Just Essentials range, from 83p for 100g to 99p.
Now, this week, it has put the price of its Just Essentials loaf up too, from 39p to 45p, bringing the price of a basket of basic groceries to an all-time high in our weekly comparison, at £12.83.
Since March last year we have been monitoring prices of the same eight essentials at the main six supermarkets - comparing the cost of tea bags, coffee, a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, a pack of chicken breasts, a pack of mince, beans and butter.
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When we first started the comparison, the bill was less than £10 in every store and Asda was the third cheapest retailer behind Aldi and Lidl.
Yet since the end of January, with the exception of one week, the supermarket has ranked most expensive, with shoppers saying it's unfair to keep increasing the cheapest products when it's all they can afford.
"When you are buying the cheapest of everything, there's nowhere else to go from there," one Asda shopper told us.
While Asda retains its most expensive position, there's no change in this week's rankings.
Lidl remains cheapest at overall, at £11.86, followed by Aldi at £12.06, Sainsbury's at £12.26, followed by Tesco at £12.30, and Morrisons at £12.42.
Aldi argues that its tea bags are a higher quality than Lidl's 'One Cup', but our comparison has simply used the cheapest 160-box available. Or, as in the case of Tesco and Asda, multiple smaller packs to make up that number.
An Asda spokesperson said: "All supermarkets have been impacted by global inflationary pressures which has increased the price of key ingredients. We’re working hard to keep prices in check for customers and we remain the lowest-priced major supermarket - a position recognised by Which? in their regular monthly basket comparison, naming Asda as the cheapest supermarket for a big shop every month for the last three years.
“We’ve recently locked the price of over 500 popular branded and own-label products to give customers more control over what they spend each week.”
Have you made changes to your shopping habits amid the cost of living crisis? Do you buy own brand or budget ranges to keep costs down? Let us know in the comments.
Here's the full list:-
Lidl
Loaf of white bread 800g - 39p
Milk 2 pints - £1.25
Coffee 200g - £1.99
Teabags 160 - £1.19
Salted butter 250g - £1.99
Beans 420g tin - 27p
Chicken 300g - £2.29
Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49
Total £11.86
Aldi
Loaf of white bread 800g - 39p
Milk 2 pints - £1.25
Coffee 200g - £1.99
Teabags 160 - £1.39
Salted butter 250g - £1.99
Beans 420g tin - 27p
Chicken 300g - £2.29
Mince 500g 20% fat -£2.49
Total £12.06
Sainsbury's
Loaf of white bread 800g - 39p
Milk 2 pints - £1.25
Coffee 200g £1.99
Teabags 160 - £1.39
Salted butter 250g - £1.99
Beans 400g tin - 26p
Chicken 300g - £2.50
Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49
Total £12.26
Tesco
Loaf of white bread 800g - 39p
Milk 2 pints - £1.25
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £1.98
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) - £1.38
Salted butter 250g - £1.99
Beans 420g tin - 27p
Chicken 300g - £2.55
Mince 500g 20% fat -£2.49
Total £12.30
Morrisons
Loaf of white bread 800g - 89p
Milk 2 pints - £1.25
Coffee (2 x 100g) - £1.66
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) - £1.38
Savers Salted butter 250g - £1.89
Beans 410g tin - 27p
Chicken 300g - £2.59
Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49
Total: £12.42
Asda
Loaf of white bread 800g (Just Essentials) - 45p (up from 39p)
Milk 2 pints - £1.25
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g Just Essentials) - £1.98
Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack Just Essentials) - £1.40
Salted butter 250g - £1.99
Beans 410g tin (Just Essentials) - 27p
Chicken 300g - £3
Mince 500g 20% fat -£2.49
Total £12.83 (up from £12.77)
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