Shoppers feel the squeeze as Heinz ketchup rises by…

Shoppers feel the squeeze as Heinz ketchup rises by 91p in cost of living blow

Family favourites such as Heinz tomato ketchup and Lurpak spreadable butter have sharply increased in price over the past two years, research has found.

Consumer champion Which? found that the biggest rise overall was Heinz Tomato Ketchup, which saw an increase of 91p - or 53% - for its 460g top-down version bottle when it compared the prices of the 79 items at Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose over a 30-day period from September 21 to October 20 in both 2020 and 2022. It found that the price of some branded foods had increased far more than the rate of inflation, with none rising less than 22%.

Two other Heinz products also made the top 10 in the highest price rises compiled by Which? – the brand’s cream of chicken and tomato soups.

The research comes four months after the company’s products temporarily disappeared from the shelves of Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket chain, in a row over price increases. Heinz was thought to have been seeking cost price rises of as much as 30% in the summer.

Dolmio Lasagne Sauce (470g) saw the second biggest average percentage increase of the 79 branded products in the watchdog’s survey, up 47% or 61p in two years and as much as 107% or £1.09 in one supermarket. Batchelors Super Noodles Bbq Beef Flavour (90g) went up an average of 43% across the six supermarkets from an average 59p to 82p. Prices also increased on basics such as Hovis Granary Wholemeal 800g, up by an average of 43% or 58p, from £1.39 to £1.97.

One of the biggest price leaps was on branded butter, with a 500g tub of Anchor Spreadable up by £1.31 (45%) on average across all six supermarkets over the two-year period and a 500g tub of Lurpak Spreadable Slightly Salted increasing by £1.17 or 35%.

The price of Twinings Everyday 100 Tea Bags saw the sharpest individual increase at one supermarket, up by £2.33 or 64% in 2022 compared to the base price in 2020. The teabags went up by an average 64p or 17% across the six retailers.

Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, said: “Our research shows the shocking rate of inflation on some of the nation’s favourite branded foods, which is much higher than the national average and highlights why it is so important for retailers to provide people with a choice of product ranges. Supermarkets must ensure budget lines for healthy and affordable essential items are widely available across their stores including smaller convenience stores. Promotions should be targeted at those most in need and people supported so they can easily compare the price of products to get the best value.”

The findings will go some way to exoplaining why shoppers have been switching to budget ranges and discount chains, as annual supermarket inflation reached a record high of nearly 15% last month, driving up the average annual bill by £682 a year.

The top 10 biggest risers were:

Heinz tomato ketchup (top down 460g) 53%

Dolmio lasagne sauce (470g) 47%

Heinz classic cream of chicken soup (400g) 46%

Dolmio Bolognese original pasta sauce (500g) 46%

Anchor spreadable butter (500g) 45%

Heinz cream of tomato soup (400g) 44%

Colman’s classic mint sauce (165g) 44%

Colman’s horseradish sauce (136g) 44%

Batchelors super noodles BBQ beef flavour (90g) 43%

Hovis granary wholemeal bread (800g) 43%

Which? recently called on supermarkets to do more to support shoppers through the cost-of-living crisis as it revealed the UK’s most at-risk areas for access to affordable groceries.

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