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Manchester Evening News

Entertainment

Emma Gill

Supermarket under fire for budget range price hike as shoppers say they're buying the cheapest of everything

Asda Aldi Lidl Morrisons Tesco Sainsbury

A supermarket is under fire for the increasing the price of a shopping essential from its budget range.

The hike in the cost of Asda's Just Essentials tea bags brings the price of a basket of basic groceries to an all-time high in our weekly comparison, at £12.20.

Since March last year we have been monitoring prices of the same eight essentials at the main six supermarkets.

When we first started the comparison, the bill was less than £10 in every store. That was for 160 tea bags, as well as coffee, a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, a pack of chicken breasts, a pack of mince, beans and butter.

At that time Asda was the third cheapest retailer behind Aldi and Lidl.

Yet over recent weeks the supermarket has ranked most expensive, topping £12 for the first time last week and reaffirming its position this week after increasing each 40-pack of tea bags from 31p to 35p.

It may only be pennies, but when many shoppers are struggling to make ends meet, those in the most vulnerable position say it's unfair to target those most in need.

One shopper told us: "If I had any money to spare then I wouldn't be buying the cheapest of everything there is. I buy Asda's Just Essentials range because it's cheap and it's all I can afford.

"I don't know how they expect us to keep paying more for things. It's the most basic stuff, not a luxury."

Another said: "We have cut back so much, over the last few months especially. There really is nothing else we can cut back on. It isn't fair to introduce a new budget range and then increase the prices when it's all people can afford."

Recent research from Which? showed that it's actually supermarkets' own brand and budget ranges that have gone up more than premium and branded foods during the cost of living crisis.

The first wave of data from its supermarket food and drink inflation tracker showed price hikes of up to 175% on everyday budget and own-brand products.

Asda is under fire for increasing the price of tea bags in its cheapest Just Essentials range (Manchester Family / MEN)

The only other increase this week is at Morrisons, which has put the price of its mince up from £1.99 to £2.19, in line with all the other supermarkets, bringing its overall bill to £11.97.

It does mean it's lost the enviable position it was in last week, as third cheapest behind Lidl and Aldi, which retain those positions this week with almost identical respective bills of £11.58 and £11.60.

Third cheapest this week is Sainsbury's once again, at £11.87, followed by Tesco at £11.91.

An Asda spokesperson: "We launched the Just Essentials By Asda range last year to provide customers with the option of getting all of their weekly essentials from the same low-cost brand range in all of our stores nationwide. 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.

"Last week we announced we would be freezing the prices of over 500 popular branded and own label products, more than half of which are fresh meat, dairy, fruit and vegetable products until the end of May."

Have you changed where you shop to find cheaper products? Do you shop from the budget ranges? Let us know in the comments here.

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