Sainsbury's has upped the stakes in the multiples' battle for family shoppers with the launch of '5 Family Meals for £20'.

It is offering families of four the ingredients to make five meals for £20 or less - or £1 a head - if bought together. The deal, which launched this week, is an extension to its successful 'Feed Your Family for a Fiver' offer and will run until 14 March.

The retailer will change the meal planner fortnightly and list each set of meals, the recipes and a shopping list online. The first meal plan includes cottage pie, Thai green chicken curry, chilli con carne & wedges, salmon & courgette pasta, and two salami & mushroom pizzas, for £19.63.

Sainsbury's said the deal would include enough ingredients for 25 meals in total and would be supported by press advertising. It added that the planner would help shoppers avoid food waste because it included ingredients that could be used in a number of meals.

This week, for example, customers can use half a 700g pack of lean steak mix in the cottage pie and the rest in the chilli con carne.

The initiative would help customers "make their money go a little further over the first few months of the year", a Sainsbury's spokeswoman said.

Sainsbury's CEO Justin King said at the retailer's Christmas trading update last week that Sainsbury's was doing everything it could to help its customers get through January, which was a "pressing time" for finances, including running 974 half-price offers.

"You can virtually see the day that the credit card bills arrive," he said. "There's a cycle to every month based on pay. Customers will spend more the first couple of weeks, but will watch the pennies nearer payday."

Sainsbury's will be hoping '5 Family Meals for £20' will help it keep up the sales momentum it experienced in December. It was the clear winner over the Christmas period with like-for-like sales growth of 3.6% [14w/e 8 January] and overtook Asda on market share in the four weeks to 26 December, according to Kantar Worldpanel.

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Sainsbury’s picks up festive share in latest Kantar figures (11 January 2011)

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