SHOPPERS have been warned that dozens of Tesco products price matched to Aldi are not like-for-like.
The UK’s biggest grocery store promises to match the price of some Aldi products, including chicken nuggets and blackcurrant squash.
Price matching has become common practice among the ‘Big Four’ supermarkets as the cost of living crisis has sent shoppers on the hunt for cheap goods.
Tesco has price-matched Aldi for the past four years, meaning Tesco shoppers could buy their milk or meat at the retailer for the same price as if they went to Aldi.
However, a new study has found that the products it advertises for the same price as Aldi do not contain equal levels of the same ingredients.
Tesco chicken nuggets, for example, contain 39% chicken, while the discounter was found to have 60%, according to a new BBC Panorama investigation.
Tesco‘s cottage pie was also found to have 18% beef, while Aldi’s contained 25%.
Other items included a blackcurrant squash which contained 14% less fruit juice than Aldi and chicken kievs with 13% less chicken.
The study examined 122 Tesco products and 38 were found to have at least 5% less of the main ingredient than the Aldi products they had been matched to.
But around 12 products were found to have more than the German supermarket, including fish fingers and coleslaw.
Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Asda also have price matches with Aldi.
However, the investigation found “no clear evidence of a pattern of consistent differences in the proportions of main ingredients in their goods compared with the Aldi versions”.
Tesco told The Sun: “Since we launched our Aldi Price Match four years ago it has proved very popular with customers.
“We constantly review the quality of our products, and we have clear processes in place to ensure that the hundreds of products that are included are comparable with those sold at Aldi.”
It also said a higher proportion of any one ingredient did not necessarily mean it was better quality.
Aldi has become an unstoppable force in the UK grocery market, with its ultra-low prices winning customers’ hearts amid a crash crunch.
Its success has led to fierce competition among supermarket bosses and many have tried to lower their prices to keep up with the brand.
The supermarket plans to open another 23 stores this year as part of its target to have at least 1,500 shops in the UK.
When’s the best time to shop at Aldi?
WHEN it comes to shopping at Aldi, the best time to do so depends on what you want to buy.
For reduced items – when shops open
Red sticker items are rare at Aldi’s 830 UK stores, but the supermarket says that none of its food goes to waste so there are some to be found – if you’re quick.
A spokesman for the supermarket said: “All items are reduced to 50 per cent of the recommend sales price before stores open on their best before or use by dates.”
That means you have the best chance of finding reduced food items if you go into stores as soon as it opens.
Opening times vary by shop but a majority open from 7am or 8am. You can find your nearest store’s times by using the supermarket’s online shop finder tool.
For Specialbuys – Thursdays and Sundays
Specialbuys are Aldi’s weekly collection of items that it doesn’t normally sell, which can range from pizza ovens to power tools.
New stock comes into stores every Thursday and Sunday, so naturally, these are the best days to visit for the best one-off special deals.
For an even better chance of bagging the best items, head there for your local store’s opening time.
You don’t have to head into stores to bag a Specialbuy, though.
They also go on sale online, usually at midnight on Thursday and Sunday, and you can pre-order them up to a week in advance.
As long as you spend at least £25, you’ll get the items delivered for free.
Remember: once they’re gone, they’re gone, so if there’s something you really want, visit as early as possible
Boss Giles Hurley said earlier this month that “Aldi is the only supermarket not inflating prices and we are lower on average than a year ago”.
What is price matching?
Price matching is a popular tool used by retailers in recent years to try and stop customers from shopping at cheaper rivals.
Tesco price matches Aldi on around 500 items that it says are comparable or identical branded products.
The supermarket giant checks prices twice a week, and the items it matches change regularly.
For instance the latest list of items it price matches can be found online at www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/zone/aldi-price-match and was last updated in September.
They are also signposted in-store and online with a red circle logo that says Aldi price match.
The price match does not include any promotional prices found at Aldi.
It’s not the only supermarket to use the tactic. For example, Asda will price match with Lidl or Aldi depending on which grocer is cheaper that week.
That includes hundreds of items with prices also checked twice a week, excluding multi-buys and any prices offered only to loyalty scheme members.
The products price-matched varies from week to week and Asda also publishes a weekly list of the items included at groceries.asda.com/event/price-match-range.
Morrisons also price matches with Lidl and Aldi and will update prices to match the cheapest on a weekly basis.
You can also find a price comparison sheet on its website by visiting my.morrisons.com.
Ocado price matches with Tesco on over 10,000 products, and will automatically give shoppers a voucher for the difference if they buy a product which is cheaper at the rival.
This includes promotions and Clubcard prices and is up to a maximum value of £10.
The items can vary and are either identical branded goods or similar and comparable own-brand items.
Items which are price matched can be seen when shopping on the Ocado website as they are marked with a red £ symbol.
Meanwhile, around 500 of Sainsbury’s own-label and branded products are price-matched with Aldi.
This offer is only available at larger supermarkets and not small convenience stores.
It comes as world events such as Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic have sent the cost of everyday goods skyrocketing in recent years.
While prices have cooled over the last 18 months, many shoppers are still feeling the pinch.
The latest figures show that inflation grew by 2.2% in the 12 months to August, which was the same figure recorded the month before.
But some goods are still facing above-average price rises, including chocolate which has risen by 11%.
This is compared to other food and drink products which grew by 2.7% over the same period.