A supermarket's 20% price hike has taken the cost of a basket of essentials to a new high.
We have been monitoring the cost of the same eight items at the main six supermarkets for more than a year now - and the bill has never been as high.
For the first time, the products have topped £13 after Asda increased the price of a 500g pack of beef mince from £2.49 to £2.99 since last week.
It comes despite the retailer already being criticised for increasing prices in its Just Essentials range, with shoppers saying it's unfair to keep increasing the cheapest products when it's all they can afford.
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The price of beans has also gone up at three supermarkets this week, but there is some good news for shoppers as every supermarket has shaved 10p off the cost of butter, bringing them in line with Morrisons' Savers butter, which was already at the lower price of £1.89.
As well as comparing the cost of mince, beans and butter, the other items we've been tracking include tea bags, coffee, a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, and a pack of chicken breasts.
While Asda retains its position as the most expensive, with a bill of £13.23, there's no change in this week's rankings.
Lidl remains cheapest at overall, at £11.76, followed by Aldi at £11.97, Sainsbury's at £12.17, followed by Tesco at £12.21, 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: "The recent decreases in the price of Asda branded milk, bread, and butter show that we continue to work hard to bring value to our customers despite global inflationary pressures. This is also reflected in our regular Which? supermarket price comparison wins as well as the weekly Grocer 33 basket.”
Have you noticed price hikes slowing down? Have you been changing where you shop to find cheaper products? 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 - £1.89 (down from £1.99)
Beans 420g tin - 27p
Chicken 300g - £2.29
Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49
Total £11.76 (down from £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 - £1.89 (down from £1.99)
Beans 420g tin - 28p (up from 27p)
Chicken 300g - £2.29
Mince 500g 20% fat -£2.49
Total £11.97 (down from £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 - £1.89 (down from £1.99)
Beans 400g tin - 27p (up from 26p)
Chicken 300g - £2.50
Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49
Total £12.17 (down from £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 - £1.89 (down from £1.99)
Beans 420g tin - 28p (up from 27p)
Chicken 300g - £2.55
Mince 500g 20% fat -£2.49
Total £12.21 (down from £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
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 - £1.89 (down from £1.99)
Beans 410g tin (Just Essentials) - 27p
Chicken 300g - £3
Mince 500g 20% fat -£2.99 (up from £2.49)
Total £13.23 (up from £12.83)
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