Grocery inflation sees slight dip as Asda pips Tesco in latest price comparison survey

Grocery prices fell 0.7% month on month but inflation remained high at 11.5% according to the latest Grocer 33 shopping survey.

The figures back up this week’s ONS figures, which showed overall UK inflation dipping to 9.9% in August from 10.1% in July – but with food prices the key driver as the cost of fuel fell.

Of the products on our shopping list, 30 increased in price compared with last September while the Biotiful kefir, which was 6% cheaper than a year ago, was the only product to come down in price.

The product to experience the most inflation was the Heinz lentil soup (see right) which was 44% more expensive than in September 2021. This was one of four items that were up in price by at least 40%. The others were the white loaf (up 43%), macaroni (41%) and Clover (40%).

All five of the retailers we visited saw double-digit inflation year on year. Morrisons, which this week lost its place in the big four to Aldi, recorded the highest inflation with prices up 13% versus a year ago. Asda’s prices climbed 12%, while Tesco and Waitrose were both up 10.9% and Sainsbury’s up 10.5%.

Asda was the cheapest retailer this week. At £61.33 it was £2.08 cheaper than Sainsbury’s. It offered the lowest price for 19 products and was exclusively cheapest for seven including the carrot cake, Clover and Heinz sandwich spread. Sainsbury’s was exclusively cheapest for the Birds Eye chicken dippers, chicken fillets and slices and the Magnums.

Tesco came in £4.13 more expensive than Asda at £65.46. However, factoring in its Clubcard Prices initiative would have closed the gap to just 68p.

Morrisons was just 5p more expensive than Tesco’s shelf-edge prices at £65.51, while Waitrose came in just over a tenner more expensive than Asda at £71.35.