// Iceland has launched a series of cost of living workshops with energy company Utilita to help customers make more than £600 of annual savings
// The retailer is also adding advice on the cheapest cooking methods to its product packaging
Iceland has launched a series of cost of living workshops with energy firm Utilita as the frozen food specialist has vowed to add the cheapest cooking methods to its product packaging.
The pair will run free workshops across the UK that promise to help householders save over £600 a year as part of its ‘Shop Smart, Cook Savvy’ campaign that launches in early September, according to This Is Money.
The campaign will “help families better understand the cost of cooking, and to help identify the most economical cooking methods available to them to make budgets stretch further”.
As energy prices soar, Iceland will add energy efficient cooking methods to its product packaging to help customers cut down on costs.
It will use Utilita research, which found that out of the seven most frequently used cooking methods, an electric cooker was the most expensive while the microwave was the cheapest.
READ MORE: Is Iceland right to prioritise affordability over sustainability?
The grocer’s managing director Richard Walker has been outspoken about the need for businesses to stand up and help hard-pressed customers.
The retailer has rolled out a range of initiatives such as a 10% discount for over 60s on Tuesdays, a £30 voucher for pensioners, an interest-free loan with ethical lender Fair For You and this week unveiled a new budget range, Value Essentials.
Walker said: “The cost-of-living crisis continues to be the biggest national issue facing consumers and as a private, family-run business, we’re constantly looking at both short, and long term initiatives that can offer any support.”
Cost-of-living business tsar and former Just Eat boss David Buttress applauded Iceland and Utilita’s efforts.
He said: “This is the type of consumer awareness campaign that will stick in our minds because it’s enabling every household to rethink the way we cook, which hasn’t been done before.’
“I am hopeful that other supermarkets will follow suit to help their consumers identify the cheapest way to cook.”
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