Tesco merchandise price-matched to Aldi ‘will not be like-for-like’

Dozens of Tesco products the supermarket has price-matched to Aldi such as chicken nuggets and blackcurrant squash are not like-for-like, it was claimed today.

Some items at Tesco were found to contain less of their main ingredient compared to Aldi equivalents, according to a BBC Panorama investigation due to air tonight.

Tesco’s chicken nuggets contained 39 per cent chicken compared to 60 per cent in the Aldi version, while its chicken kievs had 44 per cent chicken compared to Aldi’s 57 per cent, the research for ‘Supermarket Deals: How Good Are They?’ claimed.

Tesco’s chilli con carne allegedly had 15 per cent beef compared to Aldi’s 27 per cent. The study found that 38 out of 122 Tesco products examined had at least five percentage points less of the main ingredient than the Aldi price-matched products.

Some 12 Tesco products were found to have more of the main ingredient, according to the study which was carried out last month.

Consumer expert Kate Hardcastle described the study’s findings as an example of ‘value engineering’ where the quantities of ingredients are changed to cut the price.

She said: ‘It’s only when you flip it over and look at that tiny, tiny, font size to see you’re not getting the same deal.’

But Tesco claimed it constantly reviewed the quality of its products and had clear processes in place to ensure its price-match products were comparable to Aldi.

It also said a higher proportion of any one ingredient did not necessarily mean it was better quality, adding that the quality of individual ingredients and the production methods should also be taken into account.

The five Aldi price-matched products found to have the largest difference in the proportion of their main ingredient were chicken nuggets (chicken), chicken kievs (chicken), chilli con carne (beef), cottage pies (beef), and apple and blackcurrant squash (fruit juices).

While Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons also offer Aldi price-matched products, the study said it did not find clear evidence of a pattern of consistent differences in the amounts of main ingredients in their items compared with the discounter’s equivalents.

A Tesco spokesman told MailOnline: ‘Since we launched our Aldi Price Match four years ago it has proved very popular with customers.

‘We constantly review the quality of our products, and we have clear processes in place to ensure that the hundreds of products that are included are comparable with those sold at Aldi.’

And an Aldi spokesman said: ‘We have always said that the full-price supermarkets can try to match us on quality or price, but never both. The only place shoppers can get Aldi prices on high quality products is at Aldi.’

Tesco claimed in response to the study that it constantly reviewed the quality of its products 

The Aldi price-matched products found to have the largest difference in the proportion of their main ingredient were chicken nuggets, chicken kievs and chilli con carne

It comes after a separate study by Which? found consumers who buy their food at convenience stores could be paying up to a fifth more than at larger branches of the same supermarket.

The consumer group compared the cost of 42 popular grocery items at convenience chains Morrisons Daily, Sainsbury’s Local and Tesco Express against prices at their full-sized supermarkets on three occasions in June and July, also checking loyalty scheme discounts.

It found the biggest price difference for the basket was at Morrisons Daily, where shoppers paid 21 per cent more on average for the same groceries than at a Morrisons supermarket.

The total cost of the basket of groceries at Morrisons Daily averaged £16 more, which could set consumers back a total of £832 more over the course of the year if they bought the same products once a week, Which? warned.

Panorama – Supermarket Deals: How Good Are They? Will be broadcast on BBC One tonight at 8pm (8.30pm in Northern Ireland). It is also available on iPlayer