SAINSBURY’S has unveiled £15 million worth of price cuts on essentials such as rice and pasta.
The supermarket giant will roll out the reductions on its own-brand items from June 27 – and it’s pledged to keep cutting prices throughout the summer.
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Goods that will benefit from the price cuts include cupboard staples such as cereal, jam, honey and spaghetti, as well as some meat products.
Sainsbury’s 500g box of cornflakes will be reduced by 16p from 85p to 69p, putting it in line with budget supermarket chain Aldi.
The reduction makes its cornflakes 16p cheaper than rival Asda – which still sells the same box for 85p – and 1p cheaper than Tesco.
However, Lidl’s 500g box is the cheapest around at 63p.
Sainsbury’s is cutting the cost of 1kg of spaghetti from £1.65 to £1.39, while 1kg of basmati rice will be 35p cheaper – falling from £2.10 to £1.75.
Its rice will now match the price of rival Tesco, while its spaghetti is 11p cheaper than Tesco’s 1kg pack, which sells for £1.50.
Sainsbury’s will also become the only supermarket to offer Gluten-free pasta for the same price as regular pasta as part of its latest cuts.
The UK’s second largest supermarket has also pledged to price match several packs of meat to Aldi for the first time.
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These include its 300g chicken breast fillets, which will fall from £2.50 to £2.29, while its 640g pack of mini fillets will reduce from £4.95 to £4.43.
A jar of strawberry jam will now be under £1, with the price falling from £1.15 to 99p – the same price as Lidl’s own-brand jam.
However, shoppers can pick up Aldi’s Everyday Essentials strawberry jam for just 39p.
Sainsbury’s has already recently reduced the price of some essentials in the last few weeks including bread and butter, milk, tuna and toilet rolls.
It cut the cost of its four pack of own-brand toilet rolls from £1.90 to £1.69, while its eight-pack is now £2.92, down from £3.25 after the price of pulp fell for the first time in two years.
Morrisons also recently cut prices on 47 popular products this month – its sixth round of price cuts this year.
Tesco, Aldi and Lidl have all recently reduced bread, milk and butter prices, while earlier this month Asda froze the prices of more than 500 products until August.
Comparing prices across different supermarkets is key to bagging the best deal.
Websites such as trolley.co.uk allow you to compare prices of certain items at retailers across the UK.
What’s going on with food prices?
Supermarkets are coming under increasing pressure to pass the savings they are starting to see on wholesale items down to customers, who have faced rocketing food prices in recent months.
Official figures last week showed that food inflation fell slightly from 19.1% in April to 18.4% in May after hitting a 45-year high in March.
But shoppers are still facing eye-watering costs on their weekly shop compared to the same time a year ago.
The Bank of England suggested some retailers are still keeping prices high as a way of increasing their profit margins at a time of stubborn inflation.
Sainsbury’s food commercial director Rhian Bartlett is one of several food bosses due to appear in front of the Business and Trade Committee – a government committee which scrutinises costs – on June 27 to discuss food inflation.
She said: “As the cost-of-living challenges continue, we remain relentlessly focused on lowering prices on the essential products that make the biggest difference to our customers.
“These latest price cuts will help reassure customers that we will continue to pass on savings as soon as we see the wholesale price of food fall.”
How to save on your shop
There are plenty of ways to get a discount on your supermarket shop.
Try looking out for items with red or yellow stickers, which show they’ve been reduced. Lots of shoppers say you’re most likely to find these in the evenings.
Going own-brand can typically save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
Look for items badged as “essentials” or “basics” as these tend to be the cheapest ranges on offer.
Lots of supermarkets also offer discounts on “wonky” veg, which just means the items are misshapen or imperfect, but are still otherwise good to eat.
For example, Lidl runs a scheme where you can get a 5kg box of fruit and veg for just £1.50, while Sainsbury’s offers a similar box for £2 in its largest stores.
Most supermarkets now have a loyalty scheme where you can take advantage of reduced prices and offers.
Tesco offers reduced prices for Clubcard holders while Sainsbury’s recently followed suit in offering special discounts for Nectar customers.
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