However, Mr Stainton told The Grocer that he believed the reduction was also in response to a BBC Panorama investigation last September, which revealed how not all Tesco products that were included in the price match promise were a like-for-like comparison to Aldi.
According to Mr Stainton, the number of Hearty Food Co lines included in the price match campaign has dropped since from 36 to 13 since August last year, while the Grower’s Harvest range has reduced from 27 to 16, Ms Molly’s from 16 to five and Eastman’s from 19 to nine.
For example, the BBC probe said Tesco Hearty Food Co Chicken Nuggets contained 39% chicken - while the Aldi Roosters version had 60% chicken.
Mr Stainton said: “Tesco were shown to be price matching their value tier against Aldi’s standard tier own label.
Other lines removed were brands that Tesco had price matched against the same brand on sale for a limited time in Aldi’s middle aisle, including Blue Dragon, Douwe Egberts, Fanta, Hartley’s, and Old El Paso.
