Aldi has been crowned as the cheapest supermarket to pick up your child’s packed lunch essentials from.
Consumer finance experts at CashLady.com conducted research into the prices of key packed lunch essentials consisting of fruit juice cartons, yoghurts, fruit, crisps and all the ingredients to make a delicious ham and cheese sandwich.
The supermarkets were then ranked from one to nine in terms of their value for money, with one being ranked the cheapest and nine being ranked the most expensive. The items included in the costings included:
Bread
Cooked Ham
Cheese
Tomato
Lettuce
Banana
Crisps
Yoghurt
Fruit cartons
If you’re looking to whip up a balanced packed lunch for your child, to keep them fueled throughout the school day, the research has revealed that Aldi is the best place to shop.
At Aldi, for just over £7, you can get all the packed lunch essentials to feed your child for a week- that’s £1.46 per day.
However, ranked as the most expensive supermarket is M&S, where the same packed lunch essentials will set you back over £18, followed by Waitrose at a costly £14.85.
Supermarket
Price
Ranking
Aldi
£7.32
1
Tesco
£8.23
2
Sainsburys
£8.33
3
Asda
£8.43
4
Lidl
£8.52
5
Morrisons
£11.48
6
Co-op
£14.10
7
Waitrose
£14.85
8
M&S
£18.55
9
Commenting on the findings, CashLady.com’s Consumer Finance Expert, Dan Whittaker said: “There’s a lot you may be needing to budget for, from school uniform and stationary supplies to packed lunches. Plus with the cost of living crisis upon us and energy bills about to soar, there’s no better time to save where you can.
“We’ve crunched the numbers to find the cheapest supermarket for packed lunch essentials so that you can serve up your children delicious, nutritional lunches whilst still keeping to a strict budget.”
– Customers can get up to 50% off toys in selected stores –
– Saving as much as £50 on some of this year’s must-have brands –
– Toy sale available while stocks last –
Morrisons has launched a mega toy sale, to help customers get their hands on much-wanted gifts for kids and spread the cost this Christmas.
Customers can bag themselves up to 50% off must-have toys this year, including L.O.L Dolls, Peppa Pig, Super Mario Kart and Hotwheels. The toy sale is available now in 423 stores while stocks last.
Morrisons is offering Peppa Pig’s Wooden Playhouse for £52.50, 50% off the RRP, which is bound to be the perfect gift for her fans. The wooden house comes with Peppa and George wooden figures and each room is kitted out with fun features, furniture and accessories for kids to enjoy a special treat this Christmas.
For little beauty fanatics and young fashionistas, customers can get Shimmer ‘n Sparkle InstaGlam On The Glo Makeup Trolley for just £47.50 down from £95.00 RRP or Rainbow High Fashion Studio for 50% off at £30.00.
Customers can also bag a bargain on what experts predict to be the top selling brands this year including a Barbie Pet Supply Store or Radio Control Car (both £26.50, saving over a third) or Play-Doh Colourful Cafe Playset (£33, also saving over a third).
With only three months to go until the big day, Morrisons hopes this huge sale will help customers spread the cost of purchasing Christmas gifts this year.
David Catton, Toys Buyer at Morrisons, said: “We know that customers are under real financial pressure at the moment and want to help them when it comes to their Christmas shopping.
“We’re reducing the price of our toys now to help customers spread the cost of the festive season and tick off some important jobs.”
Morrisons toy deals are available in selected Morrisons stores now while stocks last.
Highlight deals in Morrisons Toy Sale:
Product Description
Normal Retail
Promo Retail
Saving
Offer
Peppa Pigs’s Wooden Playhouse
£105.00
£52.50
£52.00
50%
Shimmer ‘n Sparkle InstaGlam on the Glo Makeup Trolley
Inflation-busting move will support customers in the run-up to Christmas
Price lock underlines Tesco’s unwavering commitment to great value for its customers
Colleagues set to benefit too, with significant boost to hourly pay rates across UK stores
Tesco is today announcing a vast new price-lock commitment, freezing the prices of more than a thousand everyday products until 2023, and giving shoppers more ways to spend less and enjoy the festive season.
The products are all included within our mammoth Low Everyday Prices campaign, which covers a wide range of products and brands bought week-in, week-out – from cupboard staples and teatime favourites, to household and health & beauty products.
To help customers make their money go further during the festive season, we’re locking the price of more than a thousand of these products into the new year.
So whether it’s McCain Home Chips for those midweek dinners or a winter pick-me-up with Nescafe Original 3-in-1, our customers can count on Tesco’s price to stay the same until 2023 – helping them spend less on their shopping and more on friends and family this Christmas.
Low Everyday Prices is a key part of Tesco’s commitment to giving customers great value on their shopping – going hand-in-hand with our Aldi Price Match, great value own-brand staples with our Exclusively at Tesco brands and exclusive deals through Clubcard Prices, which together cover more than 8,000 products.
And it’s just one of the ways we’re helping customers make their money go further this Christmas. Our Clubcard Christmas Savers Scheme offers customers a bonus voucher of up to £12 when they save their Clubcard Vouchers towards their big Christmas shop. While our Toy Sale, launched this week, offers savings of up to 50% on kids favourites like Lego and Stickle Bricks, so that families can spread the cost of Christmas.
Tesco UK Chief Executive, Jason Tarry, said: “We know times are tough for many customers right now, particularly as we head into the winter months. We hope this extended price-lock commitment gives our customers the certainty of knowing that over a thousand household favourites will stay at the same great price for months to come – helping them budget when they need it most.”
As well as helping customers, we’re today also announcing another major investment in our store colleagues – with the second hourly-pay increase this year, and a doubling of our colleague discount to support them this Christmas.
From 13 November 2022, the basic hourly rate of pay in our stores will increase by a further 20p to £10.30 (or £10.98 in London). This means hourly rates at Tesco will have increased nearly 8% this year – building on what was already a record single-year investment in store pay.
And on top of that, we’ll also be doubling our Colleague Clubcard discount to 20% during the key Christmas shopping period from 13-19 December.
This is just one part of our comprehensive package of benefits for Tesco colleagues, which also includes a recently enhanced selection of free food and hygiene products in the Colleague Rooms of our stores, so that colleagues can access a wider range of breakfast, lunch and snack items at no cost.
Notes to editors:
Examples of products covered by our price-lock commitment include:
Product
Current price – locked until 2023
TILDA PURE STEAMED BASMATI RICE, 250G
£0.95
SKI STRAWBERRY MOUSSE, 4X60G
£1.10
MCCAIN HOME CHIPS, 2.25KG
£4.30
ORAL-B PRO-EXPERT PROFESSIONAL PROTECTION TOOTHPASTE, 75ML
£1.99
HEINZ BAKED BEANS SNAP POTS, 4 X200G
£2.49
NESCAFE ORIGINAL 3-IN-1, 6 SACHETS 102G
£0.99
JOHNSON’S BABY COTTON BUDS, 200 PIECES
£0.95
ROBINSONS ORANGE SQUASH, 1L
£1.75
Low Everyday Prices includes over 1,000 products across larger Tesco stores. Excludes Express. Prices locked until 03/01/2023. Look out for the Low Everyday Prices roundel in-store and online.
A Clubcard is required to redeem Clubcard Prices offers included in Tesco’s toy sale.
The winner of Aldi’s Supermarket Sweep in Whitburn has raised a record-breaking £1519.28 for a local foodbank, while picking up £759.64 in Aldi favourites for himself.
Aldi’s popular Supermarket Sweep recently arrived in Whitburn and lucky shopper Scott Gibson, who was chosen as the winner of a competition after entering at Aldi’s tent at the 200th Royal Highland Show in June, took part in the five-minute trolley dash for charity on 4th of September.
As well as taking home a trolley full of goodies, Scott successfully found the hidden inflatable in store, meaning Aldi Scotland doubled the total value of his haul and donated the lump sum to his nominated charity, West Lothian Foodbank.
Aldi Supermarket Sweep winner, Scott Gibson, said:“I want to say thanks to Aldi for such a fun evening. When I entered the supermarket sweep competition at the Royal Highland Show, I didn’t expect such a challenge!
“The staff were so friendly, and I am delighted to have raised such a great amount for the local foodbank.”
Kathleen Neilly, West Lothian Foodbank manager, said:“I would like to say thank you to Aldi Scotland for providing us with support during these hard times all of this donation will be used to buy food to help our local people that’s in a crisis.”
Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director for Scotland, said:“We are proud that the Aldi Supermarket Sweep is a firm favourite across the country, and we are so pleased to have brought it back this year.
“Congratulations to Scott who managed to raise an incredible £1519.28 for West Lothian Foodbank and snap up a whole load of Aldi treats for himself.”
Aldi supported charities in Edinburgh during the school summer holidays by donating more than 8,800 meals to people in need.
The supermarket paired its stores up with local charities, foodbanks and community groups via community giving platform Neighbourly to donate surplus food to good causes.
Since the partnership with Neighbourly began in 2019, Aldi’s UK stores have already donated more than 25 million meals to over 3,600 local causes.
Liz Fox, Corporate Responsibility Director at Aldi UK,said: “Our food donations scheme with Neighbourly operates year-round, but we know that school holidays are a particularly hard time for families, especially as many continue to experience greater hardship due to the cost-of-living crisis.
“This is why we committed to supporting even more amazing causes in Edinburgh over the school holidays, helping them to provide meals to those who needed them most.”
Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added:“School holidays are often a time when demand on charities and foodbanks drastically increases, particularly during summer when children are at home for six weeks or more.
“This push in donations from Aldi was therefore essential in helping these organisations support families during this time.”
The brand-new cherry-flavoured gin is exclusively available in all 103 of Aldi’s Scottish stores
Aldi Scotland has partnered with The Old Curiosity Distillery once again to launch Eidyn Cherry Blossom, a new, small-batch, cherry-flavoured premium gin that is available for just 19.99.
This new gin from Eidyn (pronounced ee-din), which is named after the Scottish Gaelic for Edinburgh, is exclusive to Aldi Scotland. The cherry blossom produces a fresh floral note, underscored with angelica root, winter savoury and coriander botanicals, which gives way to a light juniper finish. All the botanicals used are grown, hand-picked, and dried from the distillery’s garden in Edinburgh.
This new gin makes for the perfect artisan tipple and the Old Curiosity Distillery team recommend Eidyn Cherry Blossom to be served over ice with your preferred tonic, a sliver of lime and a black cherry garnish. The team are really pleased to be working with Aldi once again to create a new version of the Eidyn gin.
Mark Boswell, Head Distiller, said:“The way we produce our gin means that our carbon emissions are incredibly low, which is something that is very important to us. With the launch of the new Eidyn Cherry Blossom gin, it is really encouraging to see Aldi support both the craft gin industry and sustainability.”
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said:“We at Aldi have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside The Old Curiosity Distillery since the launch of the original Eidyn gin back in 2020, which has proven to be incredibly popular and has gone on to win multiple awards.
“Scotland has such a rich abundance of fresh ingredients, so it’s great to partner with a supplier that works so hard to bring them to our shelves.
“We are extremely proud to be able to introduce another premium Eidyn gin to our customers, this time in a deliciously floral cherry blossom flavour. I am proud that our competitive prices mean that our customers can still enjoy premium, high-quality products such as Eidyn Cherry Blossom.”
Aldi Scotland prides itself on working with a wide range of Scottish suppliers who are passionate about bringing the best of Scotland’s vibrant food and drink industry to its customers.
– Planet Friendly Eggs become first carbon neutral food product to be stocked by Morrisons on its drive to be directly supplied by net zero British farms –
– Cambridge University report confirms carbon neutral status and product will be the first to feature the British Lion Egg green stamp to indicate a lower environmental impact –
Morrisons has become the first supermarket to launch its own line of carbon neutral eggs as part of its commitment to be directly supplied by ‘zero emission’ British farms by 2030, five years ahead of the rest of the supermarket industry.
In stores now, Morrisons new carbon neutral ‘Planet Friendly Eggs’ come from Morrisons farms where hens are fed a soya-free diet of insects – which are in turn fed on food waste from its bakery, fruit and vegetable sites.
This pioneering ‘circular waste’ feeding scheme, powered by Better Origin technology, reduces deforestation caused by soya production and negates the carbon emissions emitted from transporting this soya.
The egg farm where the first stock of Planet Friendly Eggs will originate also has a large wind turbine, 50kWh solar panels, and a carbon sequestration programme to offset any remaining emissions on the farm – with 20 percent of its land planted with trees.
Morrisons has been working with its farmers to create net zero carbon farm ‘models’ that look at neutralising emissions through the whole lifecycle and footprint of the farm. Planet Friendly eggs are the first product to come out of these models, with sustainable beef, lamb and fruit and vegetables to follow.
A report by Cambridge University has confirmed the carbon neutral status of Morrisons new Planet Friendly Eggs, having analysed all carbon emissions in the eggs’ production and those which are offset on Morrisons first carbon neutral egg farm. The report considers the holistic production of the eggs, including the Better Origin X1 insect growing unit and food waste transport, the sourcing of locally grown grain and the hen housing and care.
The product is also set to be the first to feature the British Lion Egg green stamp on its eggs to indicate the lower environmental impact to customers.
Morrisons Planet Friendly Eggs cost 30p each or £1.50 for a pack of six. They are initially available in 50 Yorkshire stores and Morrisons new lower environmental impact store in Little Clacton, with a national rollout planned for 2023.
Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture at Morrisons, said: “This is our first carbon neutral product and there will be many more to come. It’s all part of our drive to be directly supplied only by ‘zero emission’ British farms by 2030.
“We know our customers consider the environmental impact of the food they eat and want affordable zero emission produce. Eggs are a regular weekly purchase for most households and so we’re thrilled that after 18 months of hard work with our farmers – these eggs are finally hitting our shelves.”
Ian Bamford, Commercial Director Centre for Industrial Sustainability at the University of Cambridge, said: “We were very pleased to have the opportunity to review and analyse the approach that Morrisons have taken to calculating the carbon impact of several of their egg producers.
“It was clear that the mitigation actions that had been put in place by the first farm to produce carbon neutral eggs enabled them to meet that goal.”
Mark Williams, Chief Executive for the British Egg Industry Council, said: “It’s great to see that Morrisons has launched a carbon neutral British Lion egg pack under its own brand, in a first for a UK retailer.
“Eggs generally have a significantly lower environmental impact than other animal proteins and they are a highly nutritious, natural and great tasting choice for all the family. We look forward to seeing more green Lions in the near future.”
An insect ‘mini farm’ was introduced onto the egg farm to feed the hens. The ‘mini farm’ container, in which millions of insects are kept, was developed and powered by Better Origin. Each container can help feed 32,000 free range hens and receives three tonnes of waste from Morrisons fruit and vegetable site each week. The insects can grow to 5,000 times their initial body mass in less than 14 days.
Fotis Fotiadis, CEO & Founder at Better Origin, said: “We are thrilled to see Morrisons introduce a carbon neutral product, powered by our technology, to the public. The current food supply chain isn’t sustainable in the long term and while it is certainly effective, it’s coming at a cost to the environment.
“Our ambition at Better Origin is to change that by creating a more sustainable circular food chain, so to finally see the first carbon neutral product from Morrisons hit the shelves is testament to the incredible work of the Morrisons team involved.”
Morrisons is committed to introducing sustainable products across all areas of the supermarket by lower emission sourcing and reducing the amount of plastic used.
Earlier this year, Morrisons became the first supermarket to commit to selling its own milk in carbon neutral cartons. The agricultural targets of Morrisons form part of the overall business plan to become ‘net zero’ for emissions by 2040, in line with the international Paris Agreement.
Aldi is giving store colleagues in Edinburgh a pay increase for the second time this year, maintaining its position as the UK’s best-paying supermarket.
From September, all hourly paid colleagues at its Edinburgh stores will receive an increase of 40p an hour on their current hourly rate, taking Aldi’s minimum pay rates for Store Assistants to a sector-leading £10.50 an hour nationally and £11.95 for those inside the M25.
Aldi also remains the only supermarket to offer paid breaks, which for the average store colleague is now worth more than £830 a year.
The new rates far exceed the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended real living wage of £9.90 an hour nationally and £11.05 inside the M25.
Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Our new rates of pay maintain Aldi’s position as the UK’s highest paying supermarket.
“This announcement recognises the amazing contribution our colleagues make in serving the local communities in Edinburgh. Their outstanding efforts have ensured that our customers continue to have access to fresh affordable food, every single day.”
Aldi is the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket and has more than 970 stores across Britain.
27th in-store festival brings together twelve of Scotland’s best breweries
Aldi Scotland has unveiled the line-up for its 27th Scottish Beer Festival, giving customers the perfect excuse to enjoy the warmer weather with some ice-cold brews.
The festival is set to showcase 25 craft beers from five regions in Scotland, including the central belt, Aberdeen, Glasgow, the Highlands, and Edinburgh and the Lothians, giving customers the opportunity to sample locally produced, top-quality brews at everyday prices.
Kicking off in-store from Thursday 28th July, the festival will take place across all of Aldi’s 103 Scottish stores in a deal worth over £86,000 to the breweries involved.
Aldi customers across Scotland can enjoy everything from Indian lager and a citrus pale ale from Aberdeen-based Fierce Beer to Loch Ness Brewing’s rich, chocolate stout. Refreshing IPAs from Glasgow Beer Works and a tarte mango sour from Edinburgh’s Cold Town will also feature as part of the summer beer festival.
Aldi is the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket 2021 according to Which? And offers outstanding deals on locally sourced, Scottish beer products, without scrimping on the quality.
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said:“Our Scottish Beer Festivals are always a big event in the Aldi Scotland calendar. I’m proud that the relationships we have built with Scottish brewers over the years mean that we can showcase some truly excellent beers to a wider audience, while maintaining everyday amazing Aldi prices.
“The summer event will have beers from five different corners of Scotland, showcasing the breadth of talented producers we have on our doorstep.
“I am also very pleased that a number of these beers are exclusive to Aldi Scotland. With something for everyone to enjoy, I am sure our customers will enjoy the chance to try the variety of unique brews in this summer’s line-up.”
Celebrating the 10th year of Scottish Beer Festivals, products will be available in store from 28th July. Visit aldi.co.uk/scottishbeerfestival to find out more. You can find your nearest Aldi here.
Full list of breweries and product featured in Aldi’s Scottish Beer Festival:
Brewdog
Punk AF £1.49 (330ml, 0.5% ABV)
Dead Pony Club £1.49 (330ml, 3.8% ABV)
Hazy Jane £1.49 (330ml, 5.0% ABV)
Cairngorm Brewing Company
Black Gold £1.79 (500ml, 4.4% ABV)
Cairngorm Gold £1.59 (500ml, 4.5% ABV)
Cold Town Brew
New England IPA £1.79 (440ml, 5.5% ABV)
Peachy Summer Ale £1.79 (440ml, 4.1% ABV)
Mango Sour £1.79 (440ml, 4.3% ABV)
Fierce Beer
Indian Lager £1.79 (440ml, 5.0% ABV)
Citrus Pale Ale £1.79 (440ml, 5.0% ABV)
Glasgow Beer Works
Session IPA £1.79 (440ml, 3.2% ABV)
West Coast IPA £1.79 (440ml, 4.5% ABV)
Harviestoun
Heaven Cent £1.49 (330ml, 4.6% ABV)
Ptarmigan £1.79 (500ml, 4.5% ABV)
The Ridge Pale Ale £1.79 (500ml, 5.0% ABV)
Innis & Gunn
Lager £1.95 (660ml, 4.6% ABV)
Loch Lomond Brewery
Cuban Heels Pale Ale £1.79 (440ml, 4.5% ABV)
Slave to the Rhythm £1.79 (500ml, 4.0%)
Loch Ness Brewing
Darkness Stout £1.79 (500ml, 4.4% ABV)
Lightness Pale Ale £1.59 (500ml, 3.8% ABV)
Stewart Brewing
Island Getaway Kettle Sour £1.79 (440ml, 3.5% ABV)
Dobbies Garden Centres, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, has marked its partnership with Waitrose by opening its first foodhall in Edinburgh.
Featuring the supermarket’s wide range of high-quality food, grocery products, and everyday essentials, the Waitrose foodhall is one of more than 50 that are to be launched at Dobbies’ stores across the UK and which will bring Waitrose to 20 new towns and cities.
Shoppers at Dobbies’ Edinburgh can choose from an extensive selection of products including the essential Waitrose range, which is the biggest value tier of any supermarket, plus its premium range – Waitrose No. 1 – and Waitrose Duchy Organic. Ready meals, free-from and vegan ranges, prepared fruit and vegetables, snacks and cupboard staples will also be available.
Graeme Jenkins, CEO of Dobbies, said:“Through a shared commitment to great value, quality and sustainability, Waitrose was the natural grocery partner for us as we continue to build on the success of our foodhalls in recent years. I am sure our first Waitrose foodhall at our flagship store in Edinburgh will prove popular with our customers.
“Our foodhalls are integral to our garden centre ranges and the experience of our customers, and we look forward to introducing Waitrose’s offering across our network of UK stores.”
To find out more about the partnership, visit www.dobbies.com.
