New Vegans Getting Ripped Off 45% - Swapping Supermarkets Can Save £150 A Month
- Over half a million people are trying Veganuary this year
- Supermarkets found to be selling the same vegan products for 45% more than others
- Be careful what you buy - vegan burgers are up to 71% more expensive than meat ones
- Consumer expert Tom Church urges people trying a vegan diet to be ‘vegan-price aware’
- Tom reveals the best vegan deals at Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons and Sainsburys
- He advises which deals may not be worth it and the products to be wary of
Half a million people are trying Veganuary in 2022. However, new research from the money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk has revealed that consumers are at risk of being ripped off by supermarkets if they’re not ‘vegan-price aware’. Going vegan might cost you more money with prices being up to 45% more expensive in different supermarkets.
Tom Church, Co-Founder of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk said, ‘I wanted to give Veganuary a go this year. I went to ÅSDA, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco. I compared the prices of vegan products and what I discovered shocked me.
‘For example, This Isn’t Chicken Plant-Based Pieces, 190g, is £2.75 at Morrisons. That’s £0.014 per gram. Sounds cheap, but the average price per gram of diced chicken at the supermarkets I visited is £0.007 per gram. So this vegan alternative costs double.
‘However, this is not always true and there are vegan alternatives cheaper than meat. I want to support everyone trying Veganuary and help them to be vegan-price aware. I found some supermarkets charging 45% more for the same vegan products. And, to be frank, I think those with new vegan intentions are at risk of being ripped off.’
Tom revealed which vegan products are up to 45% more expensive at certain supermarkets, vegan products that are cheaper than their meat alternatives, meat products which are still cheaper than vegan options, and the best vegan deals for people new to Veganuary.
Watch Out: The Same Vegan Products Can Be 45% More Expensive at Different Supermarkets
‘300g of Quorn Chicken Style Pieces was £1.75 at Morrisons but only £1.20 with Tesco Clubcard. Morrisons was 45% more expensive for the same product.
‘8 Meatless Farm sausages at Morrisons were on offer from £3 to £2 - but while this may look like a good deal, you can pick up 8 Richmond Meat Free Sausages in Tesco for £1.75 with a Clubcard. This means you could end up paying up to 14% more, while thinking you’re getting a good deal.
‘Richmond Meat-Free 8 Smoked Rashers 150g was £2 at Sainsbury’s, on offer from £2.50, but is £1.50 at Tesco with Clubcard. That’s 33% more expensive at Sainsbury’s.’
‘You don’t normally find such high price differences between supermarkets on branded goods.’
Vegan Meatballs Are 66% Cheaper Than Beef Meatballs
‘280g of Birds Eye Green Cuisine Meat Free Swedish Style Meatballs in Sainsbury’s is £1.25. However, beef meatballs in Sainsbury's are £2.50 for 300g. So, per gram, the vegan option is almost half price and could save you money.
‘The cheapest beef meatballs though are tinned, from just 65p at Tesco for a 395g tin. ASDA also does a tin for 70p.
‘300g of Quorn vegan mince is £1.20 at Tesco Clubcard, but if you go for beef mince in the same store you’ll be paying £1.79 for 250g. That’s about 50% more expensive per gram. And unlike meatballs I’ve found no cheaper meat option in a tin. ASDA is offering 392g of minced beef and onions in a tin for £1.80, but this is still 50% more than the Quorn mince from Tesco. It’s cheaper to swap to Quorn vegan mince than eat beef mince.’
Vegan Burgers Are up to 71% More Expensive Than Beef Burgers
‘The average price of vegan burgers I looked at in Tesco and ASDA was £0.01 per gram. The average price of beef burgers was £0.0068 per gram. So the vegan burgers were up to 71% more expensive. I didn’t find a single instance of a vegan burger being cheaper than beef burgers. But there was a lot of price difference between them:
‘Naked Veg does 260g of spicy bean burgers for £2 with a Tesco Clubcard, and ASDA does Plant Based 2 Meat Free Burgers 227g at £2 as well. However, Tesco’s Beyond Meat 226g plant-based burgers were £3.’
‘I know a lot of vegans will hurry to point out that Beyond Meat is nothing like spicy bean burgers - it’s trying to be a true alternative - but for new people trying Veganuary for the first time they may not know that and to encourage people to stick with a new vegan diet it’s important to offer the cheapest options.’
- Morrisons - Quorn Chicken Style Pieces 350g was £3.20 now £2 save £1.20 (fridge)
- Tesco - Linda McCartney’s 6 Vegetarian Chorizo and Red Pepper Sausages 270g with Clubcard, £1.25
- Tesco - Richmond Meat Free Sausages 336g £1.75 at with Clubcard
- ASDA - 2 Plant Based Meat Free Burgers 227g £2
- Tesco - Naked Veg and Proud 2 Spicy Bean Burgers 260g £2 with Clubcard
- Sainsbury’s, Tesco - Birds Eye Green Cuisine Meat Free Swedish Style Meatballs 280g £1.50
- Tesco - Beyond Meatballs 200g £3 with Clubcard
- Sainsbury’s - Quorn Mince 350g £2
- Tesco - Richmond Meat Free 8 Smoked Rashers 150g £1.50 with Clubcard
Tom concluded: ‘I think like lots of people I want to increase the amount of plant-based food in my diet. There is a persistent rumour that vegan food is more expensive and a question from meat-eaters why something plant-based costs so much more. But if you really dig in and become vegan-price aware, you can find the deals and continue to shop with the same - if not less - budget.
‘This supermarket research proved to be really eye-opening. I thought there would be a clear winner - either vegan or meat-based products would be cheaper. However, what it’s highlighted is that it’s more important than ever to compare supermarket prices and scrutinise deals. Sometimes a reduction in a certain store still means you’d be paying more compared with another one.
‘If you normally spend £80 a week at the supermarket and everything you were buying was 45% more expensive than the one next door, you could save £36 a week or over £150 a month by comparing and swapping.
‘To help consumers, our money-saving community has a free Supermarket Price Comparison Tool which we’ve updated with thousands of new vegan products. When you’re in the supermarket you can type in the name of the vegan product and quickly see if it’s cheaper elsewhere.’
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How is this different to every other product they sell? You would find the same for anything they sell, this is a non-story. Shop around folks!