Morrisons wins cheapest supermarket in our healthier Grocer 33 shop

Eating well is not cheap. A Food Foundation report this week showed a healthy diet requires 85% of disposable income for lower-income families and the price gap between healthy and less healthy food has widened.

The cost of several of the products in our health-themed Grocer 33 basket have risen by more than inflation. Chia seeds cost 18% more than a year ago, while the frozen smoothie mix was up 27%. Nectarines and mixed peppers cost 21% and 17% more respectively.

Still, shoppers focused on protein have benefited from the latest round of supermarket price wars. Asda and Waitrose have both flagged price reductions in large packs of chicken thighs in the past month, pushing the average price down 6% month on month. Kidney beans cost 18% less than last year, while promotions have kept the price of skyr yoghurt and Huel in check.

Of the retailers, Morrisons (£90.57) sold the cheapest basket, with Asda (£90.84) hot on its tail. Asda was cheaper for a greater number of SKUs, but Morrisons’ deeper discounts – including on the Little Dish fish pie and Proper popcorn – helped it to a victory by just 27p. Tesco (£91.19) and Sainsbury’s (£91.99) followed in quick succession.

Morrisons’ basket showed the greatest year on year price reduction overall, costing 3.9% less than a year ago, while the same items at Asda cost 3.8% more year on year.

Among the health-focused brands and produce, Waitrose was much more competitive than usual. Its £20m investment in lower prices brought its basket in at £92.90, just 2.6% dearer than Morrisons’.

Its 13 price cuts delivered the deepest savings of £13.14, including for the cheapest Pukka mint tea, Moju ginger shots, Arla protein yoghurt and Califia Farms oat drink.