Where to find up to 40% cheaper meat, fish and cheese at the supermarket – and the answer may surprise you
Shoppers can save on their food bill by buying fresh groceries over the counter rather than from the chilled aisle
FOOD shoppers will be shocked to discover they can save up to 40 per cent on their fresh meat, fish and cheese bill by buying their groceries from the fresh food counter.
Produce sold at the fresh counters in supermarkets are often cheaper than similar food sold in the chiller aisle of the same shop.
Bargain hunters at made the discovery after comparing the price of fresh food from the counter to similar products in the chilled section of four leading supermarkets, gram for gram.
The biggest price difference was found in the Morrisons roast topside beef, which cost £1.26 for 80g fresh from the counter, compared to £2.15 for their own brand ‘The Best’ packaged meat at the same weight.
That’s a saving of 89p for a very similar product bought from different sections from the same store.
A spokesperson for Morrisions pointed out that the price difference is down to the quality of the meats compared.
They said "The counter line is part of our core standard range, whereas the pre-pack is a 'The Best' premium product, which uses famous British breeds such as Aberdeen Angus and Hereford."
Other savings were found at Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, although the price difference wasn’t as big, with savings of roughly between 10p and 50p per item.
At Tesco, shoppers can save a quarter on the price of the roast ham on the bone, which cost £2.25 for 125g on the fresh counter compared to Tesco Finest Roast Ham, which cost £3 from the asile.
Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference pork sausages were ten per cent cheaper from the fresh meat counter, which cost £2.25 for 400g and £2.50 from the chilled section.
But not all food is cheaper from the fresh counters.
Salmon fillets at Asda, Edam cheese at Morrisons and marinated anchovies at Sainsbury’s were found to be more expensive over the counter.
Even though some of the savings seem small on their own, these could add up to a noticeable difference on your overall food bill.
Express or local supermarket stores are not likely to have a fresh counter in store, and not all big stores are guaranteed to have one either, so it’s worth checking before you shop.
BABY BARGAIN How supermarkets and pharmacies hide top bargains in the BABY aisle
MoneySavingExpert.com compared food with almost the same names and labels where they could, and chose non-branded items where they could.
Other differences like where the groceries were produced and they were farmed were also considered when it was possible and relevant.
Lucia Ariano, deals researcher at MoneySavingExpert.com said: “Supermarkets try all sorts of ways to get us to spend more, but we’ve uncovered another way to beat them at their own game. We compared fresh counter goods with seemingly identical or similar items down the aisles and found that the majority were cheaper on the fresh counters."
How you can cut the cost of your shopping bills
HERE are some tips to shrink your food bill from Hannah Maundrell, editor of Money.co.uk.
- Write yourself a list – If it isn’t on your list, don’t put it in the trolley
- Create a budget – Work out a weekly budget for your food shopping
- Never shop hungry – you are far more likely to buy more food if your tummy is rumbling
- Don’t buy pre-chopped veggies or fruit – The extra they’ll charge for chopping can be eye watering
- Use social media – follow your favourite retailers to find out about the latest deals
- Be disloyal – You may want to go to different stores to find the best bargains
- Check the small print – It’s always worth checking the price per kg/lb/litre when comparing offers so you’re making a like for like decision as a bigger box won’t necessarily mean you get more
- Use your loyalty cards – Don’t be afraid to sign up to them all. They all work slightly differently – work out what bonus suits you better and remember to trade in your points for additional rewards
The Sun Online has reached out to Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda but no one has got back to us before this article was published.
Last week we reported that Morrisons’ fillet steak has been voted the best in the UK and it’s cheaper than you think.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team? Email us at money@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 78 24516