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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Cathy Owen & Laura Sharman

'I compared supermarket prices to see which is cheapest - and Aldi wasn't the winner'

Supermarket shoppers are paying more for everyday goods due to sky-rocketing inflation and the war in Ukraine pushing up prices.

A monthly survey of food prices by Wales Online has found that shopping bills rose in all major supermarkets between December and January.

At one supermarket, the price increase for seven items was more than £1 during a time when bills are already at a record high.

In a surprising outcome, Tesco ranked cheaper than Aldi in this particular price comparison - despite the budget retailer having been voted the cheapest supermarket by Which? in 2022.

Tesco came out lower because of its Clubcard Prices, which offers lower prices for Clubcard members.

Lidl took second place and Asda came third, according to the findings which are based on a shopping list of seven essential items.

This includes milk, bread, eggs, cheese, spaghetti, apples and breakfast cereal - which were more expensive in all seven supermarkets on the list and had increased by £1.06 in a month at Sainsbury's.

It comes after buses were seen pulling up outside rival stores covered in signs promoting Aldi as the Which? cheapest supermarket.

The survey also shows that all the bills are more than £10 for the first time since last March.

Grocery price inflation is the driving factor behind the increase, with a survey from the British Retail Consortium showing that overall food inflation averaged 13.3% in December.

Tesco was the cheapest for the first time with a total of £10.78, coming in 1p cheaper than Lidl and 25p cheaper than Asda.

Lidl is the second cheapest supermarket this month, according to the survey (Getty Images)

While Aldi was the fourth cheapest at £11.06 – almost 30p higher than the Tesco Clubcard price.

Most supermarkets had a lack of eggs, with the majority rationing how many packs you can buy.

The price of eggs at Aldi increased from £1.19 in December to £1.55 in January, with very limited stock.

Spaghetti seems to have remained around the same price but there were some shortages in the shops visited for the survey.

The Which? 2022 figures are based on a monthly comparison by the consumer group which found that Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in their analysis for seven out of 12 months.

Lidl wasn't far behind, coming out cheapest in the first five months of the year.

Across the seven months that Aldi was awarded cheapest supermarket of the month, the average difference was £1.59 compared to Lidl.

They also found that the price of budget items rose 20.3% on average in December, compared with the same month a year before, according to Which?

While supermarkets’ luxury ranges rose 12.6% and the price of branded items went up 12.5%.

Price hikes for grocery staples including butter and spreads, milk and cheese were much bigger, according to the Which? survey – up 29%, 26% and 22% respectively, across all supermarket chains. Bakery items were up 19.5% and savoury pies, pastries and quiches rose 18.5%.

Sue Davies, the head of food policy at Which?, said: “Some households are already skipping meals to make ends meet and our findings show trust in supermarkets taking a hit as many people worry they are putting profits before the people suffering during this cost of living crisis.

“Supermarkets must do more, 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.”

January Shopping Bill

Here is how the different shops compared with cheapest to most expensive:

1. Tesco

Six free range eggs - £1.55 (down from £1.75)

Mature cheddar - £2.70 clubcard price (down from £2.75)

Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (up from £1.25)

500g of spaghetti - 28p (same price)

One loaf of white sliced bread -£1.35 (up from £1.25)

Six Braeburn apples - £1.60 (up from 79p with clubcard)

Breakfast cereal - £2 (same price)

TOTAL: £10.78 with club card (up from £10.07)

2. Lidl

Six free range eggs - £1.30 (up from £1.19)

Mature cheddar - £3.49 (up from £2.69)

Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (same price)

500g of spaghetti - 28p (same price)

One loaf of white sliced bread - £1.25 (up from £1.19)

Six Braeburn apples - £1.29 (same price)

Breakfast cereal - £1.99 (same price)

TOTAL: £10.79 (up from £9.93)

3. Asda

Six free range eggs - £1.30 (down from £1.75)

Mature cheddar - £2.90 (down from £3)

Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (same price)

500g of spaghetti - 28p Just Essentials (same price)

One loaf of white sliced bread - £1.35 (up from £1.20)

Six Braeburn apples - £1.50 (up from 99p)

Breakfast cereal - £1.95 (same price)

TOTAL: £11.03 (up from £10.47)

4. Aldi

Six free range eggs - £1.55 (up from £1.19)

Mature cheddar - £2.69 (same price)

Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (same price)

500g of spaghetti - 79p (same price)

One loaf of white sliced bread - £1.25 (same price)

Six Braeburn apples - £1.49 (up from £1.29)

Breakfast cereal - £1.99 (same price)

TOTAL: £11.06 (up from £10.50)

5. Marks & Spencer

Six free range eggs - £2.30 (same price)

Mature cheddar - £2.90 (same price)

Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (same price)

500g of spaghetti - 95p (same price)

One loaf of white sliced bread -85p (same price)

Six Braeburn apples - £1.90 (up from £1.75)

Breakfast cereal - £1.85 (up from £1.50)

TOTAL: £12.05 (up from £11.55)

6. Sainsbury's

Six free range eggs - £1.30 (same price)

Mature cheddar - £4.20 (up from £2.75)

Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (same price)

500g of spaghetti - 56p (down from 95p)

One loaf of white sliced bread - £1.30 (same price)

Six Braeburn apples - £1.70 (same price)

Breakfast cereal - £2 (same price)

TOTAL: £12.36 (up from £11.30)

7. Morrisons

Six free range eggs - £1.29 (up from £1.25)

Mature cheddar - £3.99 (up from £3.25)

Two pints of semi-skimmed - £1.30 (up from £1.30)

550g of spaghetti - 95p (up from 89p)

One loaf of white sliced bread - £1.49 (up from £1.40)

Six Braeburn apples - £1.59 (down from £1.89)

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