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Asda was exclusively cheapest for 13 items, including BFree pitta breads

Amid the chaos of the concrete crisis affecting the start of the new school year, there was at least some good news for beleaguered parents with our lunchbox special Grocer 33 showing inflation of just 7.8%.

Our shopping list, which had a focus on sandwich ingredients, fruit and other snacks, was 2.7% cheaper than it would have been in early August.

While there were eight items that were at least 20% more expensive than a year ago, five had come down in price and a further six were affected by single-digit inflation.

The products most affected by inflation were the Kinder Bueno bars and Mr Kipling Cherry Bakewells, up 28% and 27% respectively.

The biggest faller was the John West tuna pasta salad, which was 12% cheaper than a year ago. The Strings & Things Cheestrings were 10% cheaper.

This week’s cheapest retailer was Asda at £69.76. It offered the lowest price for 20 products and was exclusively cheapest for 13. These included the BFree pitta breads, Quorn cocktail sausages and Walkers crisps.

Asda was £5.82 cheaper than Morrisons. The Bradford-based retailer was cheapest for nine items and exclusively so for five, including the Bear fruit yoyos and Mini Babybel.

Tesco came in £6.68 more expensive than Asda at £76.44. However its loyalty-based prices would have saved Clubcard holders £5.84, thus closing the gap to just 84p.

While there were Clubcard Prices discounts on eight items, Sainsbury’s was offering Nectar Prices deals on a dozen lines. Even so its £7.24 saving would only have cut its total to £72.39, still £2.63 dearer than Asda.

Waitrose was exclusively cheapest for the Graze Oat Boosts, Light & Free yoghurt and the Lindahls kvarg. However it still came in £11.79 dearer than Asda at £81.55.