Food prices are rising faster at budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl compared to traditional stores, according to the latest Which? food and drink tracker.
The tracker shows prices were up 23.6% year-on year at Lidl and 22.5% at Aldi in January.
This is compared with 10.4% at Ocado, 13.2% at Sainsbury’s, 13.6% at Tesco, 14.4% Morrisons, 15.2% at Waitrose and 16.8% at Asda.
But both Aldi and Lidl are still cheaper overall compared to their rivals, Which? said. Aldi was recently crowned the cheapest supermarket in the UK for the seventh month in a row.
The Which? food tracker analysed inflation on more than 25,000 food and drink products at eight major supermarkets: Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
Inflation by supermarket
- Lidl - 23.6%
- Aldi - 22.5%
- Asda - 16.8%
- Waitrose - 15.2%
- Morrisons - 14.4%
- Tesco - 13.6%
- Sainsbury's - 13.2%
- Ocado - 10.0%
Overall inflation in January was at 15.9% compared to the same calendar month last year, highlighting how Brits are still paying more for their food.
Shoppers who rely on own-brand budget ranges - likely to be those who are struggling most - took the biggest hit, with value items rising by 21.6%.
Meanwhile, branded goods went up by 13.2% over the same time, own label premium ranges rose by 13.4% and standard own brand foods were up by 18.9%.
Some of the most alarming price rises highlighted by Which? include bottles of own-label water at Sainsbury’s rising from 17p to 35p (105.9%) and French brie at Tesco going up from 80p to £1.57 (96.6%).
Muesli was found to have shot up from £1.20 to £2.25 at Sainsburys (87.5%), tins of sliced carrots at Tesco rose from 20p to 33p (63%) and pork sausages went from 80p to £1.27 (58.2%) at Asda.
Butter and spreads went up by 29.9% year on year in the month to the end of January 2023, while milk rose by 26.1% and cheese went up by 23.8% overall.
Which? is campaigning for all supermarkets to ensure that budget line items are widely available, particularly in areas where people are most in need.
Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, said: “It’s clear that food costs have soared in recent months, but our inflation tracker shows how households relying on supermarket value ranges are being hit the hardest.
“Supermarkets need to act and Which? is calling for them to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, particularly in areas where people are most in need.
“Supermarkets must also do more to ensure transparent pricing enables people to easily work out which products offer the best value and target their promotions to support people who are really struggling.”
An Asda spokesperson said: “We’re working hard to keep prices in check for customers despite global inflationary pressures and we remain the lowest-priced major supermarket – a position recognised by Which? in their regular monthly basket comparison which has named Asda as the cheapest supermarket for a big shop every month for the last three years.”
A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: “With costs going up, we are working hard to keep prices low.
“Last year we announced that we would invest over £550m by March 2023 into lowering prices as part of our goal to put food back at the heart of Sainsbury’s.
“We're committed to doing everything we can to support customers with the rising cost of living. Through initiatives such as our Aldi Price Match campaign, Price Lock and My Nectar Prices, customers can find low prices on the products they buy most often both in stores and online – including: biscuits, cheese, water, cereals and yoghurts.
“Our focus on value means that all our customers will find great deals when they shop with us and do not need to go anywhere else to get the best prices on their weekly shop.”
An Aldi spokesperson said: “We are working hard to shield shoppers from industry-wide inflation, and our promise to our customers is that we will always provide the lowest grocery prices in Britain.
“That’s why Which? named us as the cheapest supermarket in 2022 and why it has again confirmed that we were the lowest-priced in January 2023 as well.”
Which? approached both Lidl and Tesco for comment.
