Unit pricing: information for consumers
Published 16 July 2015
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What is unit pricing?
Unit pricing is a labelling system that helps you to compare prices of groceries. It displays the cost of different products by weight, or volume.
It helps you easily compare the costs of different products, regardless of their respective sizes. Comparing unit prices can help you save money.
What does it tell me?
Unit prices show you how much different products would cost if they were sold in packs of the same weight or volume. This helps you to compare prices of similar products which are sold in different sized packs. Unit prices will often be given by weight (kilo or gram) or volume (litre or millilitre). You may also see prices listed per item.
How can it help me?
Comparing unit prices can help you choose the best value product. Sometimes items sold in bigger packs might look better value, but actually be more expensive by weight or volume.
For example, when choosing between 3 packs of orange juice of different sizes, using unit pricing would help you check which type of orange juice is most expensive:
| Product | Orange Juice Bottle | Orange Juice Carton | Orange Juice Family Pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pack size | 600ml | 1L | 1.5L |
| Price | 95p | £2.00 | £3.50 |
| UNIT PRICE | 15.8p per 100ml | 20p per 100ml | 23.3p per 100ml |
This example shows how the biggest pack is not necessarily the best value.
Where do I find unit prices?
The unit price of a product can usually be found beneath the total packet price listed on a shelf-label, or when the item is listed online.
Remember to check the unit price when choosing a product.
Why does this matter?
Unit pricing can help you navigate through the thousands of products on supermarket shelves, compare prices accurately and choose the one that’s best value for you.
If you have identified an issue or a problem with pricing in a store, you should contact a member of the store’s staff.
You can also contact Citizens Advice if you have a concern: www.citizensadvice.org.uk or call 03454 04 05 06.