Sainsbury’s has shaved the margins so tightly during the recession that it is now cheaper than traditional low-value supermarket Asda for staple goods, according to MySupermarket.com.
The comparison website claim that a basket of 24 goods, including items such as white bread, bananas, eggs, milk, potatoes, beef mince and orange juice, costs £30.38 at Sainsbury’s and £30.43 at Asda.
But fresh produce prices continue to rise, with the price of cucumbers increasing by more than 80 per cent in the past 12 months.
Asda’s sales have increased by 19.2 per cent over the past 12 months, with Tesco seeing a 20.5 per cent rise and Sainsbury’s 13.4 per cent.
Jonny Steel, a spokesman for MySupermarket.com, said: "Consumers are yet again seeing considerable increases on the price of their everyday food items. With increases such as this, many shoppers are turning to cheaper options where possible and surrendering brand loyalty in order to beat the increases.
"By downshifting to supermarket own brands on everyday products and taking full advantage of supermarket offers, we know it is possible to save around 20 per cent on a typical weekly shop, which beats the year on year food inflation."
James Flower, a senior consultant at Verdict, told The Telegraph: "If just one product is discounted, it can affect the overall figure. This is more about Sainsbury's saying that it is aware that customers are pressed for cash and is responding. All the supermarkets are offering discounts to communicate better value."
An Asda spokesman said: "Asda has been voted cheapest supermarket for the last 11 years and price is what is important to customers and they are voting with their feet."
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