Boots and the Co-op have hiked the price of their meal deals in another blow for shoppers during the cost of living crisis.
Pharmacy chain Boots quietly put up the cost of its midday combo in March from £3.39 to £3.59, The Telegraph reports.
The price of the meal deal in London has gone up from £3.99 to £4.19. This marks a 20p rise on both sets of prices.
A spokesman for Boots told the newspaper it was the first time it has increased the price in over five years. It added that customers could make savings of up to £4.91.
The price of a Co-op meal deal has also been hiked from £3.50 to £3.75 - an increase of 25p.
It isn't clear when exactly Co-op introduced the increased meal deal price.
Shoppers have reacted with fury on social media, with one saying: "Not the Boots meal deal going up in price as well."
Another said: "Inner London Boots meal deal price is £4.19 now?"
A third customer said: "Co-op have increased the price of a meal deal to £3.75, the apocalypse is nigh."
A fourth said: "Disgraceful that your meal deal price has risen from £3.50 to £3.75. Will be shopping at Tesco for the foreseeable."
It follows a similar move from Tesco, which increased its meal deal prices for the first time in a decade - unless you have a Clubcard.
A meal deal costs £3.50 if you’re not signed up to its loyalty scheme, versus £3 for Clubcard members.
But not all supermarket meal deals have gone up. Morrisons’ offer has remained at £3 since February 2020, when the price dropped from £3.50.
Sainsbury’s has also not changed the price of its meal deal this year, after it increased it from £3 to £3.50 in May 2021.
Last week, calls were made to ban meal deals in supermarkets to tackle the country's obesity crisis.
A health expert said the popular fixed-price deals should be made "illegal".
Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show on Wednesday, Dr. Donal O'Shea, a clinical lead for the Health and Safety Executive Ireland, said they should be banned in stores like Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's, ASDA and Morrisons.
Experts also want them removed from shelves in petrol stations and places like Boots.
Dr O'Shea said these deals almost always include solely unhealthy food options and therefore should be banned. "Literally, that should be illegal," he said.
