Can you find HIDDEN supermarket discounts in the ‘world foods’ section – up to 70% off herbs, spices & more

What we found cheaper in the world foods aisle

Here’s a quick illustration of the sort of hidden bargains we’re talking about...

Garam masala:

• Natco garam masala is £3.20 for 400g in the Sainsbury’s world foods aisle. This works out as 8p per 10g.

• Sainsbury's own-brand garam masala is £1.10 for 38g (29p per 10g). The Natco garam masala is 72% cheaper per gram.

Desiccated coconut:

• East End desiccated coconut is £1 for 200g in Tesco's world foods aisle. This works out as 50p per 100g.

• Tesco's own brand desiccated coconut is £2 for 200g (£1 per 100g). Tesco is double the price of the East End coconut.

Here are a couple more examples where the world foods aisle won on price:

Though not everything will be cheapest in the world foods aisle so it's important to check

We first published this blog in 2017 and regularly check back on it. When we first looked into it, it was almost a guarantee that you'd save by swapping own-brand products for those located in the international section of the supermarket. However, nowadays this isn't always the case.

Here are some examples where the own-brand supermarket product is cheaper than the international aisle version:

Chopped tomatoes:

• Sainsbury's Stamford Street chopped tomatoes are 43p for 400g in the Sainsbury’s world foods aisle. This works out as 11p per 100g.

• KTC chopped tomatoes are 65p for 400g. This works out as 16p per 100g. The Sainsbury's own-brand chopped tomatoes are 31% cheaper per 100 gram.

Coconut milk:

• Tesco coconut milk is 79p for 400ml. This works out as 20p per 100ml.

• Pride coconut milk is £1.35 for 400ml in Tesco’s world foods aisle. This works out as 34p per 100ml. Tesco's own-brand coconut milk is 41% cheaper per 100ml.

Here are a couple more examples where supermarket own-brand won on price:

How we did our research, and other things to note

To keep things fair and above board, when comparing prices we ignored special offers – as these come and go – and we always compared the cheapest equivalent we could find, which in most cases was the supermarket’s own-brand. Aldi and Lidl weren’t included as they tend to stock just one version of most products they sell, and don’t usually have a separate area for world foods.

If you’ve allergy concerns, we checked with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and it confirmed all food products sold by UK supermarkets – including the world foods section – have to be clearly labelled with allergen info, and it must be in English (even if there’s a foreign language elsewhere on the packaging).

Is it worth switching to world foods?

World foods used to be cheaper for the vast majority of items we looked at, however recently the gap has closed. Herbs and spices are almost always cheaper in the world foods aisle, but when it comes to tins and cans, supermarkets are keeping costs low themselves, with own-brand items often coming out cheaper.

What’s available will depend on where you live. Although supermarkets almost always have a world foods section – even in some smaller local stores – the individual products cater to local demand. So if you live in a very multicultural area, you’re likely to have a much wider selection to choose from.

Of course, as with any time you switch from one brand to another, it comes down to personal taste, but we reckon it’s worth a try if it saves you money. You can also save on groceries in other aisles simply by ‘downshifting’ from branded goods to cheaper own-brand equivalents (see MSE’s Downshift Challenge).

See our supermarket guide for more tips and tricks.