My £52 Asda Just Essentials food haul fed my family for an entire week

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

We all know how much food costs have risen over the last year, so it's no surprise that more people are turning to supermarket budget brands.

But the demand for Asda's new Just Essentials range, following a rebrand of its Smart Price, has been higher than even the supermarket's own bosses could have predicted.

It arrived rather quietly, the old plain white labels being gradually replaced by the new bright yellow packaging. But it wasn't long before shoppers were making some noise about it - with some suggesting that the new colour stands out too much and acts as a 'poverty marker' in people's baskets and trolleys. Read more: Shoppers spot one big problem with Morrisons £1 chicken offer Far from being put off, it put a spotlight on Just Essentials that no amount of advertising could have achieved, with families eager to try out the range, which so far consists of almost 300 products - 50% more than the Smart Price.

Demand has been so high, in fact, that the retailer has been forced to temporarily ration the items, with shoppers allowed to buy a maximum of three of each product, a move that's proved somewhat controversial with mostly larger families.