Savvy shoppers are being encouraged to beat soaring food bills by turning to the internet.
Food prices in Britain are going up three times as fast as in the rest of Europe, raising fears that supermarkets are boosting profits at the expense of customers.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said last week that food inflation in the UK was 6.3% in January. This compares with 0.3% in Ireland, 0.1% in France, 0.8% in the Netherlands and 2.1% in Belgium.
Research by analysts at UBS, the investment bank, found that rising global commodity prices could justify a rise of only about 3.5%.
Paul Donovan and Larry Hatheway at UBS said: “That suggests supermarkets may be boosting their margins. Prices are rising in excess of justifiable cost increases.”
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There is a raft of websites that claim to be able to drive down costs for shoppers, with a new bulk-buying concept spreading from America and Europe to Britain.
Bulk buying
Bulkaholic.com, launched last week, claims to offer bigger savings than any of the supermarket chains by charging wholesale prices and delivering bulk purchases of goods to your door.
The site sells a variety of non-perishable grocery, baby, health, beauty, pet food and cleaning products.
The goods are from big brands such as Heinz and Persil and Bulkaholic says customers can find discounts of up to 60%.
Last week, you could buy a 1kg pack of Kenco filter coffee for £13.99 — an £11 saving on the usual retail price — and a case of four packs of Felix cat food pouches for £14.99, which works out at 31p a portion.
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The site will deliver throughout Britain and also to mainland Europe, with delivery costs dependent on your location and how much you spend.
For the UK mainland, it costs £6.60 for delivery of packages up to 30kg within two to three days. There is free shipping for orders over £349.
Ethicalsuperstore.com, which offers a wide range of Fairtrade, organic and eco-friendly products, offers savings of up to 30% if you visit the bulk-buying section of the site.
It stocks a range of groceries, household goods and baby products from recognisable ethical brands such as Cafédirect and Geo Organics.
It offers free delivery to England, Scotland and Wales if you spend £60 or more and you should receive your order within five working days.
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Consumers can also reduce the cost of butcher’s bills by using westingourmet.co.uk, a meat retailer founded last year by a group of butchers from London’s Smithfield market. Of the meat it sells, 90% is reared in Britain and the majority is free-range, organic or free to roam.
You can shop by meat category, cut, or price per serving, and the site offers discounts if you buy in bulk.
Last week, you could buy a gourmet freezer pack comprising 10 100% beefburgers, two Aberdeen Angus sirloin steaks and two New Zealand lamb shanks for £23.76 — a saving of £7.50 on the normal retail price. Home delivery for orders under £75 costs £7.50, with free shipping on orders above that.
Justin Modray at Candid Money, the adviser, said: “Bulk-buying websites seem to allow consumers to shop without the hassle and added cost of collecting the products, which will be attractive as petrol prices hit record highs.
“However, shoppers shouldn’t get carried away. There is no point making savings on vast amounts of goods you will never ultimately use. Also, you should check that the site is secure and ensure that you understand the returns policy before you commit your money.”
Cheapest prices
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For everyday groceries, you can find the cheapest prices before you shop by using mysupermarket.co.uk. It claims to be able to save you £1,000 a year by checking whether Asda, Tesco, Ocado or Sainsbury’s has the cheapest deals for your shopping list. It will also compare wine prices at selected retailers, saying that it can save 50% on that part of your bill.
If new customers access the site through quidco.com, a cashback site, they can get a further 6% cashback on their spending. Last week, Quidco also offered £15 off your first shop at Ocado, plus £7.50 cashback provided you spend at least £75.
Voucher codes
It is worth checking voucher codes for food and drink. You can get £10 off your first grocery order of more than £50 at Tesco until March 31 at vouchercodes.co.uk.