Major supermarkets across Gedling borough have slashed the price of their own-brand milk by 5p in what’s being called ‘the dairy wars’.
Tesco was the first major grocer to cut the price of milk earlier this week, when it reduced the cost of a pint for the first time since May 2020 in a bid to help consumers struggling with higher living costs. They have now cut the price of a pint of milk to 90p, down from 95p.
Sainsbury’s was quick to follow just 24 hours later, matching Tesco’s new lower prices exactly. Aldi, Lidl and Asda all dropped their prices towards the end of the week, with Asda saying it had taken “swift action” to support customers struggling with the cost of living.
Announcing the initial price cuts, Tesco boss Jason Tarry described milk as a “key everyday staple for so many families”.
“We’ve seen some cost price deflation for milk across the market in recent times, and we want to take this opportunity to pass that reduction on to customers,” he added.
Asda’s chief commercial officer Kris Comerford said the retailer had “invested to protect our customers throughout the cost of living crisis and [has] taken swift action to reduce the price of milk” as commodity prices have eased, on top of the “hundreds of prices lowered in our stores every week”.
In a similar vein, Sainsbury’s said: “With costs going up, we are working hard to keep prices low, especially on the everyday essentials people buy the most.”
But consumer group Which? believes supermarkets should be doing “a lot more to ensure healthy, nutritious food is more widely available”.
Head of food policy Sue Davies said: “Any price reduction is good news for consumers, but 5p off a pint of milk won’t make a huge difference when it comes to year-on-year food price inflation, which is almost 25% at some supermarkets, according to our research.
“This step shows that pressures are easing but supermarkets should be doing a lot more to ensure healthy, nutritious food is more widely available, especially in those areas most in need and to make sure pricing is clearer, more transparent and more consistent, so consumers can easily compare prices in-store and with other supermarkets.”
not at the co-op