How to cut your soaring food bill

Apr 7 2008 By Catherine Hendrick

IT'S enough to put you off your lunch.

Food prices have risen so much over the past 12 months that experts are warning the average family of four will have to spend an extra £572 a year on their weekly shop.

The average basket of food, including staples like bread, milk and cheese, has gone up by 11 per cent, according to independent price comparison website www.mySupermarket.co.uk

Interestingly, the big four supermarkets have put their prices up by virtually the same amount for many items, including bread and milk. Giving, it seems, shoppers little choice.

So is it possible to beat the price rises? One family of four recently claimed they spent just £25 a week on their weekly food bill.

While we can't promise such dramatic savings, shopping around can still save you cash.

The website's director, Johnny Stern, says: "It's no secret that many families are already struggling under the pressure of rising living costs and the prices of staple grocery products have continued to rise.

"However, there are a wide range of competitively priced products in all the main supermarkets and the discerning consumer can always find ways to control the weekly grocery bill.

"For instance, if the average family spends £90 a week, the price checker on mySupermarket.co.uk could save them 20 per cent off their shop. That equates to £18 a week or £936 a year, which I'm sure the average family would be able to use to support them in such difficult times, what with the increase in general costs such as food and fuel."

It's a bold claim.

So I decided to put mySupermarket.co.uk to the test to see how much I could shave off my fortnightly shop.