Cost of living: Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Aldi hike prices on 138 value range items

Exclusive research by NationalWorld, a part of SussexWorld, has revealed that almost half of the value range products on offer at five major supermarkets – often relied upon by the lowest income shoppers – have increased in price since April.

NationalWorld has been tracking the online price of around 700 value range items across Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Aldi, taking snapshots on the first Monday of the month.

In the last month alone, between June 6 and July 4, the stores hiked up the price of 138 (20 per cent) of the products NationalWorld were tracking – two-fifths of them at Tesco alone.

That followed rises for 175 items between May and June, and 102 between April and May.

The number of items NationalWorld has been tracking increased slightly in the latest round, taking into account new products at Morrisons and Asda.

Read on for the full list of value range products that saw price increases last month.

What brands are included?

While Asda and Morrisons are home to a single budget product line (Asda Smart Price and Morrisons Savers) Tesco and Sainsbury’s both ditched their value lines in recent years, replacing them with a range of in-house brands in an effort to keep up with German rivals Aldi and Lidl.

At Tesco these include Ms Molly’s (confectionery and treats), Stockwell & Co (food cupboard essentials) and Creamfields (dairy products).

Sainsbury’s meanwhile boasts Hubbard Foodstores (stock cupboard essentials), J. James and Family (fresh and frozen meat and fish) and Stamford Street (chilled products such as ready meals), among others.

Aldi carries an Everyday Essentials value range. However, many products that are not part of this specific value range have a price point similar to budget items at other supermarkets.

Asda announced earlier this year that it was scrapping the Smart Price line and replacing it with one called Just Essentials, which is currently being rolled out. NationalWorld is monitoring how prices have changed for like-for-like replacements.

Asda

Asda put up the prices for just six of the 171 value range products that were available on the first Monday of June and July, while dropping the price for one item.

The previous month it had imposed price rises on 46 out of 157 items.

However, since NationalWorld’s first price snapshot on April 4, Asda has hiked prices on almost half of its value range groceries (74 out of 158), with an average rise of 11 per cent for items that got more expensive.

Not all products have been available for the entire period between April and July.

The full list of items that saw price rises between June and July, ranked by percentage increase is below:

ASDA Smart Price Sponge Mix 225G – 35p up to 40p, rise of 14 per cent

ASDA Smart Price Baked Beans & Sausages in Tomato Sauce 405G – 39p up to 42p, rise of eight per cent

ASDA Farm Stores Avocados 4pk – £1.19 up to £1.25, rise of five per cent (now renamed Just Essentials by ASDA Avocados 4pk)

ASDA Farm Stores Plums 400g – 62p up to 65p, rise of five per cent (now renamed Just Essentials by ASDA Plums 400g)

JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Easy Peelers 600g – 72p up to 75p, rise of 4.2 per cent (new product not available in May)

ASDA Farm Stores Kiwis 6pk – 82p up to 85p, rise of four per cent. Was previously 67p, then 78p. (now renamed JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Kiwis 6pk

Asda did not respond to a request for comment.

Tesco

Tesco put up prices for 55 products last month – 26 per cent of the 214 products that were available in June and July. That compared to four price decreases.

Of these 55, 17 had seen price rises for at least two months in a row.

The average price rise for the products that got more expensive in June was ten per cent.

In total, Tesco has increased the price of 99 out of 208 products (48 per cent) that have been in NationalWorld’s price tracker between the start of April and July, with an average increase of 14 per cent.

The full list of items that saw price rises between June and July, ranked by percentage increase is below:

Nightingale Peppers 600G – 96p up to £1.16, rise of 21 per cent

H.W. Nevill's Part Baked Baguette 2 Pack – 49p up to 59p, rise of 20 per cent

Eastmans Brussels Pate 175G – 49p up to 59p rise of 20 per cent

Eastmans Ardennes Pate 175G – 49p up to 59p, rise of 20 per cent

Rosedene Farms Small Apple 6 Pack – 79p up to 95p, rise of 20 per cent

Ms Molly's 12 Iced Fairy Cakes – 85p up to 99p, rise of 16 per cent

Suntrail Farms Fruit Salad 200G – 85p up to 99p, rise of 16 per cent

Ms Molly's Digestive biscuits 400g – 39p up to 45p, rise of 15 per cent (was previously 35p)

Stockwell & Co rice pudding 400g – 20p up to 23p, rise of 15 per cent

Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti Pasta 500G – 20p up to 23p, rise of 15 per cent

Redmere Farms Beetroot 500G – 69p up to 79p, rise of 14 per cent

Growers Harvest Orange Juice With Bits 1L – 69p up to 79p, rise of 14 per cent

Hearty food co breaded chicken goujons 270g – £1.49 up to £1.69, rise of 13 per cent

Ms Molly's Chocolate digestive biscuits 300g – 49p up to 55p, rise of 12 per cent

Stockwell & Co Pickled Onion 440G – 49p up to 55p, rise of 12 per cent

Growers Harvest British Mushy Peas 300G – 25p up to 28p, rise of 12 per cent

Stockwell & Co crunchy peanut butter 340g – 89p up to 99p, rise of eleven per cent

Hearty Food Co. 2 Garlic Chicken Kievs 260G – £1.79 up to £1.99, rise of eleven per cent (was previously £1.65)

Redmere Farms Baby Potato 1Kg – 81p up to 90p, rise of eleven per cent (was previously 79p)

Heart food co sweet and source sauce 440g – 55p up to 61p, rise of eleven per cent

Willow Farm Chicken Drumsticks 900G - 1.2Kg – £1.98 up to £2.19, rise of eleven per cent (was previously £1.73 then £1.88)

Ms Molly's 8 Chewy Caramel Wafer Biscuits 224G – 95p up to £1.05, rise of eleven per cent (was 85p)

Hearty food co penne pasta 500g – 29p up to 32p, rise of ten per cent

Creamfields Greek Style Natural Yogurt 500G – 59p up to 65p, rise of ten per cent (Was 49p then 55p)

Creamfields Fat Free Greek Style Natural Yogurt 500G – 59p up to 65p, rise of ten per cent

Creamfields Grated Mature Cheddar 250G – £1.59 up to £1.75, rise of ten per cent (was £1.49)

Creamfields Grated Lighter Mature Cheese 250G – £1.59 up to £1.75, rise of ten per cent

Creamfields Lighter Mature Cheese 400G – £1.99 up to £2.19, rise of ten per cent (was £1.79 then £1.89)

Creamfields mature white cheddar 400g – £1.99 up to £2.19, rise of ten per cent (was £1.79 then £1.89)

Creamfields mild white cheddar 400g – £1.99 up to £2.19, rise of ten per cent (was £1.79 then £1.89)

Creamfields Red Leicester Cheese 400G – £1.99 up to £2.19, rise of ten per cent (was £1.79 then £1.89)

Grower's harvest red kidney beans in water 400g – 30p up to 33p, rise of ten per cent

Ms Molly's Strawberry Trifle (2X115g) 230G – 61p up to 67p, rise of ten per cent

Stockwell & Co. Ready Salted Crisps 6X25g – 72p up to 79p, rise of ten per cent

Growers Harvest Tomato Puree 200G – 31p up to 34p, rise of ten per cent

Redmere Farms Fresh Greens – 65p up to 71p, rise of nine per cent

Rosedene Farms Raspberries 125G – £1.24 up to £1.35, rise of nine per cent

Butcher's choice chicken breast fillets 1kg – £3.50 up to £3.79, rise of eight per cent

Suntrail Farms Kiwi X6 – 79p up to 85p, rise of eight per cent (was previously 67p then 75p)

Eastmans Minced Beef & Onion Pasty 150G – 41p up to 44p, rise of seven per cent (was 37p)

Stockwell & Co gravy granules 200g – 30p up to 32p, rise of seven per cent

Willow Farm Whole Chicken 1.2Kg - 1.6Kg – £2.89 up to £3.08, rise of seven per cent

Willow Farm Chicken Breast Portions 900G -1.2Kg – £5.72 up to £6.08, rise of six per cent

Nightingale Farms Baby Plum Tomatoes 250G – 65p up to 69p, rise of six per cent

Eastman's Chicken Roll Slices 250G – £1.06 up to £1.12, rise of six per cent

Hearty Food Co 4 Chicken & Vegetable Pies 484G – £1.44 up to £1.52, rise of six per cent

Willow Farm Chicken Thighs 900G - 1.2Kg – £2.19 up to £2.30, rise of five per cent (was previously £1.94 then £2.09)

Suntrail Farms Soft Citrus Pack 600G – 69p up to 72p, rise of four per cent

Nightingale Farms Cherry Tomatoes 250G – 48p up to 50p, rise of four per cent

Redmere Farms Red Onion 1Kg – 72p up to 75p, rise of four per cent (was previously 67p then 70p)

Ms Molly's Vanilla ice cream 2 L – 99p up to £1.02

Hearty Food Thin Pepperoni Pizza 314G – 67p up to 69p, rise of three per cent

Suntrail Farms Grapes 500G – £1.24 up to £1.27, rise of two per cent (was previously £1.06)

Suntrail Farms Green Grapes 500G – £1.24 up to £1.27, rise of two per cent (was previously £1.06)

Nightingale Farms Peppers 375G – 98p up to £1, rise of two per cent (was previously 89p then 95p)

A Tesco spokesperson said: “With household budgets under increasing pressure we are absolutely committed to helping our customers, by keeping a laser focus on the cost of the weekly shop.

“We have significantly increased the number of value lines we offer and whether it’s price matching basics to Aldi prices, promising Low Everyday Prices on household staples, or offering exclusive deals and rewards through thousands of Clubcard Prices – we’re more committed than ever to providing our customers with great value.”

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Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s increased the price of 23 products last month, 17 pre cent of the 137 products in NationalWorld’s tracker between the start of June and July, alongside three price decreases. Of these, five had seen price rises for at least two consecutive months.

The average price rise was 15 per cent.

Since April, 70 out of 138 products (51 per cent) in NationalWorld’s tracker have gone up in price, also by an average of 15%.

The full list of items that saw price rises between June and July, ranked by percentage increase is below:

Hubbard's Foodstore orange marmalade medium cut 454g – 27p up to 49p, rise of 82 per cent

Hubbard's Foodstore sweet and sour sauce 500g – 55p up to 69p, rise of 26 per cent

Hubbard's Foodstore spaghetti rings 400g – 13p up to 16p, rise of 23 per cent

Hubbard's curry sauce 440g – 45p up to 55p, rise of 22 per cent

Mary Ann's dairy hard cheese 200g – £2.05 up to £2.50, rise of 22 per cent

Mary Ann's Dairy Grated Mozzarella 500g – £2.50 up to £3, rise of 20 per cent

Lovett's digestive biscuits 400g – 39p up to 45p, rise of 15 per cent

Hubbard's Foodstore rice pudding 400g – 20p up to 23p, rise of 15 per cent

Sainsbury's Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits, Basics 300g – 49p up to 55p, rise of 12 per cent

Hubbard's Foodstore Mushy Peas 300g – 25p up to 28p, rise of 12 per cent

Mary Ann's Dairy Red Leicester 600g – £2.99 up to £3.29, rise of ten per cent

Lovett's dark chocolate 100g – 3p up to 33p, rise of ten per cent

Lovett's milk chocolate 100g – 3p up to 33p, rise of ten per cent

Lovett's white chocolate 100g – 3p up to 33p, rise of ten per cent

Stamford Street 1.5kg chips – 90p up to 99p, rise of ten per cent

Allcroft's Deli Classics Cheese & Onion Quiche 400g – £1.45 up to £1.59, rise of ten per cent

Hubbard's Foodstore custard 385g – 35p up to 38p, rise of nine per cent (was 32p)

Sainsbury's British Frozen Chicken Mixed Portions Pack 2kg – £3.50 up to £3.75, rise of seven per cent

Hubbard's Foodstore gravy granules 170g – 45p up to 48p, rise of seven per cent

J. James and Family breaded fresh British chicken goujons 270g – £1.60 up to £1.69, rise of six per cent (was £1.49)

Mary Ann's dairy soft cheese 200g – 75p up to 79p, rise of five per cent (was 69p)

Lovett's Chocolate Chip Cake Bars x5 107g – 39p up to 40p, rise of three per cent

J.James and Family Free Range Eggs Mixed Weight x10 – £1.30 up to £1.33, rise of two per cent (was £1.19 then £1.26)

Sainsbury’s has consistently told NationalWorld that it is not fair to focus on a selection of value range products when it carries 40,000 items in its stores, and that doing so does not give a true reflection of the value they offer customers.

“With costs going up, we are working hard to keep prices low,” a spokesperson said. “We are investing over half a billion pounds to ensure the items people buy most often are on the shelves at the best prices and we are confident our Sainsbury’s Quality, Aldi Price Match campaign and Price Lock promise are making a big difference to our customers.”

They offered no comment when pushed on the impact on poorer shoppers of price rises to budget lines.

Aldi

Aldi put up the price of 16 Everyday Essentials products last month, 18 per cent of the 91 products NationalWorld were tracking. The average increase was eleven per cent.

There was one price decrease during this time.

Since April, 31 out of 91 products have seen price rises, with an average increase of 12 per cent.

The full list of items that saw price rises between June and July, ranked by percentage increase is below:

Sparkling Water 2 Litres – 17p up to 23p, rise of 36 per cent

Spaghetti Hoops In Tomato Sauce 410g – 13p up to 16p, rise of 23 per cent

Rice pudding 400g – 20p up to 23p, rise of 15 per cent

Carrots 1.5kg – 44p up to 49p, rise of eleven per cent (price had been reduced between May and June, from 45p to 44p)

Plums 400g – 62p up to 69p, rise of eleven per cent (was previously 59p)

Dark chocolate 100g – 30p up to 33p, rise of ten per cent

Milk chocolate 100g – 30p up to 33p, rise of ten per cent

White chocolate 100g – 30p up to 33p, rise of ten per cent

Frozen Chicken breast fillets 1kg – £3.50 up to £3.79, rise of eight per cent

Strawberries 227g – £1.29p up to £1.39, rise of eight per cent (had previously been £1.49 before being dropped to £1.29 between May and June)

Breaded ham 15 slices 400g – £1.85 up to £1.99, a rise of eight per cent (was previously £1.69)

Honey cured ham 15 slice 400g – £1.85 up to £1.99, a rise of eight per cent (was previously £1.69)

Tomato Baby Plum 250g – 65p up to 69p, a rise of six per cent

Tomato Cherry 250g – 48p up to 50p, rise of four per cent

White Grapes 500g – £1.24 up to £1.27, rise of two per cent (was previously £1.06)

Red Grapes 500g – £1.24 up to £1.27, rise of two per cent (was previously £1.06)

An Aldi spokesperson said that the average increase across the six products was just 7p each.

They added: “We are the lowest-priced supermarket in Britain and our customers always pay less for their shop with Aldi, which is why we were named as the cheapest supermarket in June by consumer champion Which?

“Value is the number one consideration for most households as they wrestle with rising costs and our promise to our customers is that we will always provide the lowest grocery prices in Britain.”

Morrisons

Morrisons increased the price of 38 products between the start of June and July – 44 per cent of the 87 products in NationalWorld’s tracker. The average increase for products that saw price rises was 23 per cent, far higher than the average of 14 per cent across all supermarkets.

Four products saw price rises for at least two consecutive months.

It also dropped the price of seven products during this time, while seven products were discontinued.

Since April, 20 out of the original 43 items in NationalWorld’stracker (before it expanded its Savers line) have seen price rises, at an average of 16 per cent for those that went up.

For several products, Morrisons has moved them in and out of promotion.

The full list of items that saw price rises between June and July, ranked by percentage increase is below:

Beef Curry 392g – 80p up to £1.49, rise of 86 per cent

Chilli Con Carne 392g – 71p up to £1.32, rise of 86 per cent

Gravy Granules 200g – 32p up to 56p, rise of 75 per cent

Long Grain White Rice 1kg – 45p up to 71p, rise of 58 per cent

Mushy Peas 300g – 18p up to 28p, rise of 56 per cent

Spaghetti Loops 410g – 17p up to 25p, rise of 47 per cent

Marrowfat peas 300g – 39p up to 55p, rise of 41 per cent

Pasta Shapes 500g – 32p up to 45p, rise of 41 per cent

Chocolate Mini Rolls 6 per pack – 45p up to 60p, rise of 33 per cent

Orange Marmalade 454g – 30p up to 39p, rise of 30 per cent

M savers Potatoes (540g) 360g – 35p up to 45p, rise of 29 per cent (previously 34p then dropped to 33p)

Curry Sauce 440g – 44p up to 55p, rise of 25 per cent

Mayonnaise 500ml – 44p up to 53p, rise of 20 per cent

M savers Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce 395g – 16p up to 19p, rise of 19 per cent

18 Toilet Rolls 18 per pack – £2.99 up up £3.50, rise of 17 per cent

Muesli 1kg – £1.20 up to £1.39, rise of 16 per cent

Instant Hot Chocolate Drink 400g – £1.09 up to £1.25, rise of 15 per cent

Fish Fingers 10 Pack 250g – 69p up to 79p, rise of 14 per cent

Regular Instant Coffee 100g – 75p up to 85p, rise of 14 per cent

Strawberry Jam 450g – 31p up to 35p, rise of 13 per cent

Still Water 2L – 17p up to 19p, rise of 12 per cent

Sparkling Spring Water 2L – 17p up to 19p, rise of 12 per cent

Sweetcorn in Water 326g – 35p up to 39p, rise of eleven per cent

Raspberry & Vanilla Flavour Mini Rolls 6 per pack – 45p up to 50p, rise of eleven per cent

Long Life Skimmed Milk 1L – 59p up to 65p, rise of ten per cent

Bitter 2% 4 x 440ml – 90p up to 99p, rise of ten per cent

Prawns 200g – £2 up to £2.19, rise of ten per cent

White Chocolate 100g – 33p up to 36p, rise of nine per cent

Milk Chocolate 100g – 33p up to 36p, rise of nine per cent

Dark Chocolate 100g – 33p up to 36p, rise of nine per cent

Creamed Rice Pudding 400g – 23p up to 25p, rise of nine per cent

Custard 385g – 36p up to 39p, rise of eight per cent

Biscuit Assortment 700g – £1.39 up to £1.49, rise of seven per cent

Honey 340g – 69p up to 72p, rise of four per cent

French Set Yogurts 6 x 125g – £1.20 up to £1.25, rise of four per cent

M Savers Chocolate Supreme Desserts 6 x 90g – £1.20 up to £1.25, rise of four per cent

Washing Up Liquid 500ml – 34p up to 35p, rise of four per cent

Laundry Powder 3.333kg – £2.59 up to £2.60, rise of 0.4 per cent

A Morrisons spokesperson said: “We know that this is a very tough time for customers and so one of the recent changes we have made is to improve our My Morrisons loyalty scheme.

“Customers who are part of it will be rewarded with instant offers when they shop to help them save money.”