If you see anyone crying into their Sainsbury’s tuna and sweetcorn sandwich, it’s probably because it cost them more than usual.
That’s right, the supermarket has raised the price of its meal deal for the second time in less than a year, to a new price of £3.95.
That’s a 20p increase from July last year, when the meal deal rose from £3.50 to £3.75. Prior to this, the price had been just £3 for at least six years.
Sainsbury’s confirmed to Metro its meal deal price had risen, but added it still offered ‘one of the best value meal deals around’.
This hasn’t stopped shoppers throwing their sandwiches out their trolley though.
‘FOUR GREAT BRITISH POUNDS for a meal deal at Sainsbury’s. Game’s never been more gone,’ wrote @aaman44 on X.
‘It’s £3.95 for a Sainsbury’s meal deal now they have got to be taking the p**s,’ added another.
‘I beg that UK supermarkets put a cap on how much they can increase meal deal prices… Sainsbury’s I’m looking @ u,’ pleaded @bighazeleyeddoe.
‘Why tf was my Sainsbury’s meal deal £3.95, should we all just give up?’ said someone else.
Yes, it’s always disappointing when you end up paying more money for the same exact items, but if you put it in perspective, Sainsbury’s isn’t wrong, their meal deal is still better value than most other supermarkets.
Tesco, Morrisons and Co-Op all charge £4 for meal deals which is 5p more than Sainsbury’s (although some of these prices do lower if you have a loyalty card, for instance Tesco Clubcard holders only pay £3.60).
Meanwhile, Boots charges £3.99 and a Waitrose meal deal will set you back an eye-watering £5 – but if you’re savvy about it and buy the most expensive options included in the deal, it actually works out as the best value deal of the bunch, saving you £5.30.
It may come as a relief to hear the Sainsbury’s premium meal deal has remained at £5 – the same price as when it launched back in 2022.
The supermarket also pointed out it had added some delicious new additions to the deal, including the Picnic Triple Sandwich, and a Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnut for a snack.
The now £3.95 meal deal in question includes a main, a snack and a drink and if you want to make the most savings possible, you’ll need to pick a certain combination.
The best value meal deal you can get from Sainsbury’s includes the Picnic Triple sandwich (£3.50), Holy Moly Guacamole Chips & Dip 77g (£1.85) and a Naked Smoothie 300ml (£2.90).
This amounts to an £8.25 spend, which means even though the Sainsbury’s meal deal has risen to £3.95, you still save £4.30 in total.
If you’re going for the cheapest option though, you’ll pick up the Sainsbury’s No Mayo Ham Sandwich (£1.50), a McVitie’s Gold Billion Chocolate Wafer (75p) and Aqua Pura Mineral Water 500ml (90p), for a total value of £3.15.
Sainsbury’s new meal deal mains
The supermarket has added 35 new products to its Food-to-Go range, including some fresh new items to its popular lunch time meal deal.
One new highlight? A build-your-salad range.
Hungry shoppers can pick a salad base – like the Bistro salad, Cheddar Garden, or Greek salad (£2.75 each) – then pack on a choice of five proteins.
Shoppers can add on options including salt and chilli chicken thigh chunks (£1.50) or falafels (£1.30).
Along with a drink, the build-your-salad option is the standard meal deal price of £3.75.
But there’s more…
Sainsbury’s new Premium Meal Deal mains
- Taste the Difference Njudja Chicken Caesar Wrap, £4.25
- Taste the Difference Deli Meats Grab Bag, £4.25
- Taste the Difference Gochujang Chicken Salad, £4.50
- Taste the Difference Green Goddess Salad, £4.50
- Taste the Difference Mexican Sweet Potato Salad, £4.50
- Taste the Difference Antipasti Platter, £4.25
Sainsbury’s new core meal deal mains
- by Sainsbury’s Bistro Salad, £2.75
- by Sainsbury’s Cheddar Garden Salad, £2.75
- by Sainsbury’s Greek Salad, £2.75
- by Sainsbury’s Chicken and Red Pesto Sandwich, £3.15
- by Sainsbury’s Korean Style Gochujang Chicken Wrap, £3.15
- by Sainsbury’s BBQ Chicken Pasta, £2.95
- by Sainsbury’s Katsu Chicken Salad, £3.00
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