The cheapest and most expensive supermarket meal deals

Yahoo

12 hours ago

As Tesco hikes its prices, how do the supermarkets' meal deal prices compare?
Tesco has announced a 25p price increase for its lunchtime meal deal for all customers from today (21 August).
Prices for the meal deal - consisting of a main (such as a sandwich or wrap), a snack and a drink - have risen from £3.60 to £3.85 for Clubcard members, while non-Clubcard members will now have to pay £4.25.
It comes after prices were hiked just a year ago, as well as in 2022.
A Tesco spokesperson defended the move, saying the meal deal "remains great value".
Why is Tesco increasing the cost of its meal deal?
Tesco has not specifically said why it is increasing the price of its meal deal, but it comes following years of high food inflation, pushing prices up for both consumers and retailers.
Grocery prices are 5% higher than a year ago and Tesco is among dozens of retailers who have written to chancellor Rachel Reeves, warning that new taxes in the autumn budget would push prices up even higher.
Other supermarkets - including Sainsbury's - have also put the price of their meal deals up during the cost of living crisis, reflecting the economic challenges.
Tesco highlighted its broad range of lunch choices when announcing the news of the price rise.
However, it also comes off the back of recent figures that showed Tesco enjoying its largest monthly share gain since December 2024, as its hold of the market rose by 0.8 percentage points to 28.4%, driven by sales growth of 7.4% compared to last year.
Which meal deals are the cheapest?
For Co-op members, it will cost £3.50 for a lunch meal deal, and £4 for non-members. Their website states that these prices will remain in place until at least the end of the year.
For a cold sandwich and a regular hot or cold drink, Greggs charges £3.75. The bakery chain offers a variety of other lunchtime deals for their pastries and savoury snacks - the most expensive being £4.95 for a hot sandwich and wedges with a regular hot/cold drink.
A main, snack and a drink will cost £4 for Boots customers, or £3.75 for anyone with a Boots Advantage Card. Prices are higher in London - £5 for customers and £4.75 for those with with Advantage Card.
Tesco's new meal deals price is £3.85 for Clubcard members and £4.25 for everyone else. Their meal deals were priced at £3 for 10 years - before prices rose in October 2022 as food prices shot up.
Sainsbury's offer their meal deals for £3.95 - and in a marked difference from other supermarkets, the price is the same for customers without loyalty cards. However, Sainsbury's increased the price from £3.75 in June this year, having already increased it from £3.50 in July 2024.
Morrisons customers with loyalty cards will pay £3.50 for their meal deal, while it costs £4 for everyone else. The supermarket increased the cost of its meal deal by 50p from £3 to £3.50 in 2022.
Upmarket supermarket Waitrose charges £5 for everyone for their lunchtime meal deal. It was introduced in 2023 and the price has stayed the same since then.
Asda does not have a meal deal that offers a set price for three lunch items. However, customers are able to mix and match three selected items and get the cheapest one free.
Food inflation keeps rising
Recently released figures have shows that supermarket inflation is actually falling - but retail experts say it remains "well past the point at which price rises really start to bite".
Grocery prices were 5% higher than a year ago in the four weeks to 10 August, according to market research firm Worldpanel by Numerator, which was recently renamed from Kantar.
However, this was down from July's 5.2%, which represented a rise from inflation of 4.7% a month earlier and marked the highest level since January 2024.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Worldpanel, said: "What people pay for their supermarket shopping often impacts their spending across other parts of the high street too, including their eating and drinking habits out of the home."
While Tesco enjoyed its largest monthly share gain since December 2024, both Asda and Co-op saw sales down on a year ago, by 2.6% and 3.2% respectively.