Tesco has increased the price of milk and mince by around 8% in a week, keeping it the most expensive of six major supermarkets for a basket of eight basic items for a 15th consecutive week.
The retailer added 10p to a two-pint bottle of milk, bringing it to £1.30, and 25p to a 500g pack of 20% fat mince, now £3.50. The combined increases take the total basket cost from £13.36 to £13.71, an overall rise of almost 3%.
Weekly price comparison
The weekly comparison, run since March 2022, tracks the cheapest available products at Tesco, Lidl, Aldi, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's, including budget ranges such as Asda's Just Essentials, Morrisons' Savers, Tesco's Stockwell products and Sainsbury's Stamford Street range.
The basket also includes bread, beans, tea bags, coffee, butter and chicken breasts. Part of the reason Tesco's mince costs more is that it is a 20% fat version, while other retailers sell a cheaper pack with 25% or more fat.
However, the 20% fat mince can still be found more cheaply elsewhere, including at Morrisons, Asda, Aldi and Lidl, where 500g packs cost £3.25. M&S also sells the product for £3.25.
Cheapest supermarkets this week
Lidl remains the cheapest of all the supermarkets for the 11th consecutive week, with a bill of £13.06. Aldi is second at £13.09, followed by Asda at £13.16, Morrisons at £13.17 and Sainsbury's at £13.33.
Not all retailers agree with the findings of the comparison. Sainsbury's says the 'review of a limited number of products does not reflect the fantastic value' customers will find in store and says it is 'committed to offering customers great choice and value when they shop with us'.
Morrisons says it 'remains committed to providing good, honest value' and is 'working hard to keep prices down and competitive so customers can spend less while still enjoying the quality Morrisons is famous for'.
Aldi has argued that the products are not like-for-like, saying its own Diplomat Red Label tea bags and its coffee are of 'higher quality' than the comparative products used, and its tins of beans are heavier than some other retailers'.
An Aldi spokesperson told the M.E.N: "Our customers know they can always count on us for great value across the board, without needing to join a club or show a loyalty card. That’s why Which? has named us Cheapest Supermarket of the Year for five years running."
Asda says surveys consistently recognise it as the best-value full-range supermarket, with low prices available to all. A spokesperson said: "Families can count on Asda for great value, with low prices on the brands they know and trust, many of which aren’t available in limited-range discounters, as well as thousands of everyday essentials that are cheaper than Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. Independent price comparisons continue to recognise Asda as the UK’s best-value full-range supermarket."
We have reached out to Tesco for a response on this week's price increases.
