As the cost of living crisis continues to rise across the UK, households are urged on to find cheap ways to do the weekly food shop.
As inflation levels reach a record-high in the last few weeks, some shoppers have still been finding reasonably-priced products on shelves, reports the Daily Record.
Almost every single one of the top six supermarket giants in the UK has a section in their stores that stocks cheaper alternatives to popular products.
This aisle is called the world foods section, and it can be home to products for as little as one pound. The 'hidden' section is often forgotten about by supermarket-goers, but can host a whole load of cupboard essentials - like lentils, rice, chopped vegetables and pulses.
READ MORE - Shoppers demand new Quality Street product dubbing latest 'ready for the bin'
All of the cheap products come from lesser-known brands in the UK, and are stocked in countries all around the world - like India, America, Jamaica, China and Japan.
As the annual grocery bill rises by a whopping £533 due to the 10.1 per cent rise in inflation levels, shopping cheaper has never been more essential for families.
The Liverpool Echo put the world foods section to the test as they scoured the aisle in Morrisons to compare costs to the more popular brands.
For example, a bottle of Blue Dragon Thai sweet chilli sauce is £2.50 for a 372ml bottle. But a lesser known brand in the world foods section, Healthy Boy sweet chilli sauce, is £2,25 for a bigger 750ml bottle.
Spice mixes are also cheaper in the world foods section, costing just a pound per product. Looking at the price per unit is also a way to garner cheaper products, as the Liverpool Echo compared the key ingredients of a korma with popular brands and the world foods section.
Here is what they found below:
Korma in the world foods section
- Indus Korma seasoning mix - £1 for 50g
- KTC tin of chopped tomatoes - 55p (£0.13 per 100g)
- Fudco Almonds - £6.75 for 500g (£1.35 per 100g)
- Island Sun coconut milk - £1 for 400ml
- Badshah Basmati Rice - £3.50 for 2kg (£1.75 per kg)
Korma in the non-world foods section
- Schwartz Korma powder - £1.10 for 100g
- Napolina tinned tomatoes £1 - (£0.25 per 100g)
- Morrisons almonds - £2.49 for 200g (£1.25 per 100g)
- Blue Dragon coconut milk - £2 for 400ml
- Morrisons Basmati Rice - £1.25 for 500g (£2.50 per kg)
In these comparisons, you can see that three out of the five items of the world foods section were cheaper than the popular branded aisle. The Morrisons almonds and the Schwartz Korma powder were the only two items that weren't cheaper.
Not every single item in the world foods section is cheaper, due to importing laws.
For example, the American candy is a pricier option for people due to the price hike with importing costs, but essentials for the home have proven to be cheaper in the 'secret' aisle.
READ NEXT
Ben and Jerry's latest collaboration has people rushing to the shops as they 'need' it
Shoppers praise Tesco Mobile amid free Disney Plus offer for all customers
Shoppers in disbelief as 'spicy' advent calendar hits supermarket shelves in August
Festive chocolate lands in supermarkets as shoppers baffled at early arrivals
Shoppers praise Tesco Mobile amid free Disney+ offer for new and existing customers
