Food prices

[Baxenden Bank]

Something I heard on R4 a few days ago suggested a lot of that increase is due to the canneries charging much higher prices, not all down to the cost of ingredients.

What are the cans made of, some rare mineral mined on Mars! I can't imagine the can is a particularly large proportion of the price of the finished product - ex factory.

£0.95 to £1.40 is a 47% increase. Needless to say I will not be paying that especially whilst Baxters is £1.20 per tin and own brand much less. I have preferences from both brands, I shall trim my tastes to match the price.

 

[DelayRepay]

Can't imagine there's much demand for soup at this time of year - especially not at those prices!

 

[kristiang85]

I bought a kilo of supermarket brand rice today and it cost me £2.19. I'm sure it was only £1.45 not so long ago.

 

[DannyMich2018]

Regarding Heinz Soup crazy prices if you have to- buy a four pack, seen in Asda Sunday four for £3 so buying 4 only 20p more than 2.
Similar for Muller yogurts. Before recent price rises Sainsbury's was the cheapest place to sell single Muller Corner yogurts for 50p- 70p now I think and more in Iceland Stores. Again best to buy multipack of 6 for about £3.

 

[Cloud Strife]

While there are clearly increased costs throughout the food industry, these huge conglomerates are almost certainly seeing their chance to profit. Just like BP, Shell and others are enjoying record quarters while we all pay more for fuel and energy.

Tesco is big, but Kraft Heinz is bigger.

It's not only the conglomerates, to be fair. I still provide some tutoring to keep my teaching knowledge 'fresh', and I've just upped my prices for the next academic year by nearly 40% in light of the 15%+ inflation expected in PL this year and next year.

 

[Gloster]

Tiptree Seedless Raspberry Jam up from £2.60 to £2.79 at Morrison’s.

 

[Typhoon]

While there are clearly increased costs throughout the food industry, these huge conglomerates are almost certainly seeing their chance to profit. Just like BP, Shell and others are enjoying record quarters while we all pay more for fuel and energy.

Tesco is big, but Kraft Heinz is bigger.

There was something on the radio about that (yesterday?) Whatever else, it makes Tesco look good - 'we are on the side of the shopper'.

If you're talking about the 400g size tins, then yes, were 95p, now £1.40, seemingly in line with most other supermarkets. Multi-buy offers are still available if you shop around, believe that at the Co-op you can still get 4 × 400g size tin multi-packs of Heinz soup for £3.00.

You can buy a family pack of Heinz tomato soup (6 tins) in Morrisons for £4.99, 2 packs £8. The latter is 67p a tin (personally, I can't stand the stuff). Same deal for chicken. Packs of 4 tins is £3.49 (tomato, chicken and vegetable). (All according to their website.)

Regarding Heinz Soup crazy prices if you have to- buy a four pack, seen in Asda Sunday four for £3 so buying 4 only 20p more than 2.
Similar for Muller yogurts. Before recent price rises Sainsbury's was the cheapest place to sell single Muller Corner yogurts for 50p- 70p now I think and more in Iceland Stores. Again best to buy multipack of 6 for about £3.

Corners were 40p each in Sainsburys on Sunday - it is an 'offer' but you need to get offers these days. Iceland - 77p, or 5 for £2 but I find the local Icelands have a lousy choice of flavours.

 

[route101]

I live on my own so multipacks often mean spending more for than I need to and often a multipack of the same flavours. But I understand for big families that differs.6

 

[wilbers]

occasional thing I've seen go up 50% in price - stuff I buy irregularly so it may have done that in 2 stages. Morrisons sponge puddings £2 for pack of 2 - doesn't seem long ago they were about £1.25 (though probably about March last time I bought some). 2 pack creme caramel however was £1 which is same as its been for a long time.

Bought some sellotape this week for the first time this year - pack of 4 of the cheap version all had £1.50 on, apart from 1 pack that still said £1 - they actually honoured that and sold it for £1 as the price had only just gone up; admittedly that seemed cheap to begin with and they should have gone to £1.20/£1.25 a couple of years ago, then it would have made the £1.50 now look about right.

 

[GusB]

I bought a kilo of supermarket brand rice today and it cost me £2.19. I'm sure it was only £1.45 not so long ago.

I've noticed that rice has gone up. I was £1.25 for 500g of basmati in my local shop (Safeway brand); I had completely run out so it was the only option. The last time I went to Aldi it was 45p/95p for 1kg of long grain and easy cook long grain respectively, so I'll be stocking up the next time I'm in town.

Another thing I noticed today was that the price-marked packs of 40 Tetley tea bags have gone up to £1.59 from £1. I opted for the Typhoo "refill" pack instead, and again I'll make sure I stock up when I'm back in Aldi.

 

[Gloster]

Morrison’s are apparently having difficulty getting hold of quite a number of bakery products: doughnuts are being sourced from Germany. (I am sure there is a joke somewhere in there.)

 

[wilbers]

Morrison’s are apparently having difficulty getting hold of quite a number of bakery products: doughnuts are being sourced from Germany. (I am sure there is a joke somewhere in there.)

Are they Berliners from Berlin, made by Berliners?

 

[david1212]

I shop in Tesco quite a lot, especially since the advent of the Clubcard special offers, and am pretty price savvy. I went there yesterday and noticed this week's clubcard offers, other than on fresh fruit and veg, are both fewer in number and not nearly so tempting value wise. For instance, with wine and excepting the 'offer' on Gordon Ramsay branded wine, which is a rip-off in the first place, virtually none of the reductions exceeded £1 on sub-£10 bottles, as against £1.50 - £2.50 previously. This was especially galling as I was expecting to find 25% off six bottles, but the offer which had been advertised at the beginning of the week apparently lasted a whole two days. I exited with just the one bottle and very little shopping other than aforementioned fruit and veg. My nearest Aldi is 25 miles away too!

I am lucky having most chains either near home or work.

Nearest to home is Sainsburys, next a Tesco Superstore which fits in with other trips and has fuel. In the next town is a High Street Tesco. It was a Metro but has now been branded Express while still, for now, stocking a wider range than a ' corner shop ' Express. Prices are a mix. For items core to Express stores generally that price is charged. For others the superstore price or slightly more e.g. £1.05 instead of 99p, £3.90 instead of £3.45. Near to the Tesco Superstore is a new Lidl although I have only been once. Within 3 miles is a larger Sainsburys, Morrisons and Aldi.

Going one way to/from work I pass an ASDA. Going another Aldi with adjacent Iceland and B&M.
Not far away is Lidl, Morrisons and M&S food.

Thinking back for this year I have bought around 75% from Aldi, 12% from Tesco, 8% Iceland and 5% elsewhere.

 

[Gloster]

Island Delight Vegetable Jamaican Pattie at Sainsbury’s up from £1.05 to £1.10. It is only about two months ago that they went up from 90p to £1.05 (see #92).

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Island Delight Vegetable Jamaican Pattie at Sainsbury’s up from £1.05 to £1.10. It is only about two months ago that they went up from 90p to £1.05 (see #92).

Second and even third time price rises this year seems to be quite common.

Whether this is because of further increases in costs, or the supermarkets just bringing in the rises in increments so you don't notice it, I don't know. Clearly there are some people who do notice these things!

Tesco two pints organic milk - three rises this year, now 22% more expensive than the November 2021 price.
Tesco one pint milk - again three rises, 44% more expensive than the November 2021 price.
Tesco small banana x 6: 15%

Risen twice this year:
Tesco in-store bread rolls (14% increase)
Tesco Finest chilled meals (14%, 17% for the buy two offer)
Happy free range eggs x 6 (20%)
Morrisons in-store sausage rolls x 4 (43%)
McCain croquettes (33%)
Seabrook six-pack crisps (30% Tesco or 36% Morrisons)

And they say inflation may hit 10%.

For those of us where food and electricity are a large proportion of our spending this is very noticeable!

 

[Snow1964]

Inflation has gone up again, the Office National Statistics has just released June’s figures, a lot of the increase was due to rising food prices

Consumer Price Index 9.4%
Retail Price Index 11.8%

 

[DelayRepay]

Inflation has gone up again, the Office National Statistics has just released June’s figures, a lot of the increase was due to rising food prices

Consumer Price Index 9.4%
Retail Price Index 11.8%

Food prices are up 9.8% according to the BBC.

Food prices up 9.8% in year to June​

The cost of your shopping continues to go up. The latest ONS figures show the prices for food and non-alcoholic drink rose by 9.8% in the year to June.
The figure is up from 8.7% in May and the highest rate since March 2009.
The biggest contributors were milk, cheese and eggs, with the price of vegetables, meat and ready meals also increasing.

 

[Gloster]

Morrison’s own brand bran now £1.59. Only a month or so ago it went up to £1.49 (see #203).

 

[Busaholic]

In Costa, the millionaire shortbread, increased a couple of months ago from £2 to £2.10, went up today to £2.30.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

In Costa, the millionaire shortbread, increased a couple of months ago from £2 to £2.10, went up today to £2.30.

The clue is in the name. It's millionaire shortbread, not paupers cake. Expect more of the same, there's certainly a Rocky Road ahead, a bit of an Eton Mess for the new Prime Minister and Chancellor to sort out.

 

[Mojo]

Cheap chocolate - Lovett's in Sainsburys, Everyday Essentials in Aldi and Asda SmartPrice Chocolate (100g bars available in Milk, Dark and White varieties, it's ostensibly the same product in all Supermarkets) has gone up to 33p. It has been at 30p in all supermarkets for a number of years now, and even back in 2009 the same product at the same size (although back then it was called Sainsburys Basics) was only 27p. Ms Molly's in Tesco is still 30p, and they are also proudly announcing "Aldi Price Match," so presumably when they realise everyone else, including the shop they're price matching to, has increased the price, they will too.

 

[davehsug]

Morrisons on Friday, pack of 6 Hartley low calorie jelly pots £4.40, previous Friday £3.50. Jar of Morrisons apple sauce 49p to 69p in ome week. Neither item was previously on offer. I've been noticing how some bread products from the instore nakery have been reducing in size as well as increasing in price, notably, the small baguettes (which should be called even smaller), & subs, which are now more like torpedoes. They also seem to be almost "underbaking" products, I assume to save baking cost if it's deliberate.

 

[Howardh]

Morrison’s are apparently having difficulty getting hold of quite a number of bakery products: doughnuts are being sourced from Germany. (I am sure there is a joke somewhere in there.)

Jam doughnuts 40p in my Lidl, and no shortage (and they don't coat them in layers of sugar either!)

 

[Mojo]

Jam doughnuts 40p in my Lidl, and no shortage (and they don't coat them in layers of sugar either!)

That’s expensive! They’re 5 for £1 in most other shops.

Morrison’s are apparently having difficulty getting hold of quite a number of bakery products: doughnuts are being sourced from Germany. (I am sure there is a joke somewhere in there.)

Don’t they make them instore, like Tesco and Sainsburys do (at the full-size shops with instore bakery)? I’m surprised if not as Morrisons seem quite keen on doing things fairly locally, having retained staffed fish, meat and cheese counters.

 

[tomuk]

That’s expensive! They’re 5 for £1 in most other shops.


Don’t they make them instore, like Tesco and Sainsburys do (at the full-size shops with instore bakery)? I’m surprised if not as Morrisons seem quite keen on doing things fairly locally, having retained staffed fish, meat and cheese counters.

Some of Morrison's issues might be down to the need to make savings to pay the huge £9.8bn cost of being bought by their new American PE owners. Anyhow like Greggs a lot of the 'instore' baked goods are only baked\reheated on site having been prepared earlier at large factories.

 

[GusB]

That’s expensive! They’re 5 for £1 in most other shops.


Don’t they make them instore, like Tesco and Sainsburys do (at the full-size shops with instore bakery)? I’m surprised if not as Morrisons seem quite keen on doing things fairly locally, having retained staffed fish, meat and cheese counters.

They probably bake them instore, but they most likely make them at a central facility.

When I initially worked for Safeway many moons ago there was a time-served baker in charge of the "scratch" bakery. At the same time, there were some stores that were simply "bake-off" stores, meaning that the product came in part-baked and frozen and was simply finished off in-store.

 

[birchesgreen]

Anyway the cream i mentioned earlier (which some folks didn't like as if that had relevance to the price issue) is now 1.60 at my local Coop so it has now doubled in price since last November.

 

[Busaholic]

They probably bake them instore, but they most likely make them at a central facility.

When I initially worked for Safeway many moons ago there was a time-served baker in charge of the "scratch" bakery. At the same time, there were some stores that were simply "bake-off" stores, meaning that the product came in part-baked and frozen and was simply finished off in-store.

I've been given to understand that neither Tesco nor Sainsbury, and possibly Morrison's too now, prepare them from scratch in their supermarkets, but I have no source for this 'information' other than my reading of the financial pages in serious newspapers over the last few months/years.

 

[Lost property]

Morrison’s are apparently having difficulty getting hold of quite a number of bakery products: doughnuts are being sourced from Germany. (I am sure there is a joke somewhere in there.)

There was a sign on the, empty, bakery shelves in my local Tesco yesterday which went along the lines of being unable to source some bakery ingredients due to problems in the frozen supply chain.

However, I'm still of the opinion that, evident though the cost of living crisis is, and deepening rapidly (unless you are a potential millionaire PM who "feels your pain"....obviously! ) despite what the supermarkets say, they've been avaricious enough to quietly increase prices, and subsequently profits / dividends / bonus's under the convenient guise of blaming Covid / Ukraine...and Brexit.

 

[DelayRepay]

Fear not! Our government will save us

Government and leading businesses join forces to help households with cost of living

Cost of Living Business Tsar and former Just Eat boss David Buttress agrees deals and discounts with major UK businesses to form part of Help for Household campaign.

www.gov.uk

Government and leading businesses join forces to help households with cost of living​

Cost of Living Business Tsar and former Just Eat boss David Buttress agrees deals and discounts with major UK businesses to form part of Help for Household campaign.


Retail deals and discounts to help families over the summer holidays have been announced as part of the government’s Help for Households Campaign.

Signed with some of the UK’s biggest businesses, including Asda, Morrisons, Amazon and Vodafone, these deals are designed to reduce costs at the checkout, help provide entertainment and ensure access to necessary services for families during the summer holidays and beyond.

Agreed with the government’s Cost of Living Business Tsar David Buttress, the deals include the extension of Asda’s ‘Kids eat for £1’ scheme, where children aged 16 and under can access a hot or cold meal for £1 at any time of day in Asda Cafes across the UK.

Sainsbury’s is introducing it’s ‘feed your family for a fiver’ campaign, helping customers with budget-friendly meal ideas to feed a family of four for less than £5.

Theatres in London are uniting for Kids Week, an initiative giving children the chance to see a West End show for free throughout August with a full paying adult, with half price tickets for two additional children in the same group, while Vodafone is promoting a mobile social tariff of £10 a month.

Along with new initiatives, some deals are a continuation of successful support schemes which businesses are already running and want to promote under the Help for Households campaign to raise awareness.

These include Amazon’s new ‘help for households’ page that will provide access to free entertainment such as Freevee and Amazon Music, as well as educational resources for school-aged children and low-price essential groceries. Morrisons is also providing a free meal for every child at in-store cafes when a parent buys an adult meal.

(I have not quoted the full Press Release)

So basically, Asda and Morrisons are doing cheap meals in their cafes, and Sainsburys are going to suggest some recipes.

In reality I'm not sure what this does to help practically. Good free advertising for the supermarkets though!