Tesco sought this week to undermine Sainsbury’s ‘Feed your family for a fiver’ meal deal claiming it could feed a family of four for less than a fiver a day – covering all three meals.
In a bid to underscore its low-price credentials, Tesco said one of its chefs had created a special seven-day meal plan, including meat, pasta, and enough fruit and vegetables to feed a family three times a day, for just £32.68.
The menu, featuring products from the Tesco Value range, were nutritionally balanced and would provide families with their 5-a-day, claimed the retailer. However, unlike Sainsbury’s, Tesco has priced its menu by the portion and not by the prices of the full packs required.
Tesco admitted that based on full pack prices, the weekly cost to customers would be higher, though it wouldn’t comment on the £42.32 figure calculated and put to it by The Grocer – a figure that equates to more than £6 a day. Tesco maintained that it had the best budget range of the big four, citing sales growth of 13% year-on-year.
“Sales of our Value range have soared in the past three months as savvy shoppers figure out they don’t have to compromise on quality as much as they were expecting,” said Tesco food marketing director Sidonie Kingsmill. “We have the widest range of budget products on the market, which means our shoppers are saving big time on everything from mushrooms to cornflakes to bread.”
Tesco’s move came as The Guild of Fine Foods accused supermarkets of offering worse value than independent retailers and sacrificing quality to make savings.
“Supermarkets are not as cheap as they would have us believe,” said national director Bob Farrand. “The hype they generate is little more than window-dressing to cover up the fact they cynically view the current credit crunch as the perfect opportunity to increase market share and eliminate yet more local competition.
“You’ll generally do better in your local farm shop or farmers’ market.”
In a bid to underscore its low-price credentials, Tesco said one of its chefs had created a special seven-day meal plan, including meat, pasta, and enough fruit and vegetables to feed a family three times a day, for just £32.68.
The menu, featuring products from the Tesco Value range, were nutritionally balanced and would provide families with their 5-a-day, claimed the retailer. However, unlike Sainsbury’s, Tesco has priced its menu by the portion and not by the prices of the full packs required.
Tesco admitted that based on full pack prices, the weekly cost to customers would be higher, though it wouldn’t comment on the £42.32 figure calculated and put to it by The Grocer – a figure that equates to more than £6 a day. Tesco maintained that it had the best budget range of the big four, citing sales growth of 13% year-on-year.
“Sales of our Value range have soared in the past three months as savvy shoppers figure out they don’t have to compromise on quality as much as they were expecting,” said Tesco food marketing director Sidonie Kingsmill. “We have the widest range of budget products on the market, which means our shoppers are saving big time on everything from mushrooms to cornflakes to bread.”
Tesco’s move came as The Guild of Fine Foods accused supermarkets of offering worse value than independent retailers and sacrificing quality to make savings.
“Supermarkets are not as cheap as they would have us believe,” said national director Bob Farrand. “The hype they generate is little more than window-dressing to cover up the fact they cynically view the current credit crunch as the perfect opportunity to increase market share and eliminate yet more local competition.
“You’ll generally do better in your local farm shop or farmers’ market.”
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