Staple foods, including rice, spaghetti, baked beans, and tea bags, are poised to cost consumers over three times as much when budget-friendly options are unavailable, according to a recent investigation by consumer watchdog Which?. The organization is now urging supermarkets to prioritise stocking essential value range items in their convenience stores.

For its August analysis, Which? meticulously examined the prices of nearly 26,000 food and beverage products across eight major UK supermarkets, including Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose. In a separate snapshot research endeavour, Which? honed in on the price discrepancies between budget range, standard own-brand, and comparable branded versions of everyday food staples, shedding light on the potential financial burden faced by shoppers relying on convenience stores.

Perhaps most shockingly, Which? uncovered an alarming price difference of up to 246 percent at Asda when the budget range option, “Just Essentials by Asda Long Grain Rice 1kg,” priced at 52p, was unavailable. In its absence, the standard own-brand alternative, “Asda Easy Cook Long Grain White Rice 1kg,” skyrocketed to £1.80. And if no own-brand choices were on offer, a popular comparable branded alternative, “Ben’s Original Long Grain Rice 1kg,” came in at a staggering £4.85 – marking an astonishing 833 percent increase over the budget range version.

Similar disparities were found at Tesco, where the budget option, “Grower’s Harvest Long Grain Rice 1Kg” (52p), was out of stock. Consequently, the standard own-brand item, “Tesco Easy Cook Long Grain Rice 1Kg,” shot up by 140 percent in price. Furthermore, the comparable branded “Ben’s Original Long Grain Rice 1Kg” weighed in at a whopping £5.25, a staggering 910 percent more expensive than the budget range choice.

Sainsbury’s mirrored Tesco’s price variations, with a 140 percent increase between its standard own-brand and budget range rice. The comparable branded “Ben’s Original Long Grain Rice 1kg” maintained the trend by costing £5.25, marking a remarkable 910 percent increase over the budget version.

Which? also uncovered similar disparities in products like spaghetti and baked beans. At Sainsbury’s, “Hubbard’s Foodstore Spaghetti 1kg” was priced at 56p, while the standard own-brand alternative, “Sainsbury’s Quick Cook Spaghetti 500g,” was 75p for only half the pack size, translating to a 168 percent increase when considering the price per 100g. Branded “Napolina Spaghetti 1kg” was £2.50 – 346 percent more expensive than the budget version for an equivalent amount of pasta.

Morrisons showed a similar trend with baked beans. The budget option, “Savers Baked Beans 410g,” cost 27p, whereas the standard own-brand “Morrisons Baked Beans 410g” was 48p – a 78 percent increase. The branded “Heinz Baked Beans 415g” were £1.39, equating to a 396 percent increase per gram.

Even tea bags were not exempt from these price disparities. At Tesco, the budget option, “Stockwell & Co 80 Tea Bags 200G,” was priced at 78p, whereas the standard own-brand version, “Tesco 80 Teabags 250G,” cost £1.10 – a 41 percent increase for the same number of tea bags, albeit slightly larger. The branded alternative, “Yorkshire 80 Teabags 250G,” reached £3.30, reflecting a staggering 323 percent increase over the supermarket’s budget version.

The convenience store experience compounds these price hikes, as budget-friendly options are often scarce. Additionally, supermarkets tend to charge higher prices for the same products in convenience stores compared to larger outlets, further exacerbating the issue.

Which?’s food inflation tracker revealed an annual grocery inflation rate of 12.5 percent in August, down from the highs seen earlier in the year but still a cause for concern. These findings coincide with official statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), indicating that food has surpassed household bills as the primary contributor to overall inflation.

While some supermarkets have initiated efforts to assist customers, such as Morrisons stocking budget range items in select Daily stores and Tesco substituting branded goods with cheaper alternatives in Express stores, there is room for further improvement. Sainsbury’s and Asda, in particular, have yet to announce significant changes in their convenience store offerings.

Sue Davies, Head of Food Policy at Which?, emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “As millions struggle with increased food prices and other high household bills, it’s staggering that shoppers face paying over three times more for items if they can’t get to a larger supermarket.” Which? is calling on all major supermarkets to ensure that their convenience stores are stocked with a range of essential budget items to provide relief to financially burdened customers during the ongoing cost of living crisis.