Asda has cut the number of products in its Just Essentials budget range by 8%, offering a total of 296 lines, down from 293.

The supermarket has confirmed the change will be rolling out online and in stores, with items including chicken thigh portions, mild white cheddar, red leicester, spaghetti in tomato sauce, diet cola, lemonade and dishwasher tablets to be removed from the range.

Private label consultancy IPLC provided a list of the products that had been missing from the range, and said that seven new lines has been added, including breaded fish fillets, chicken nuggets and prawns, The Grocer reported.

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Asda told the publication that an additional three lines are to be added in the next few months and explained that it is “always monitoring” the items in its ranges “to make sure we have the right products on our shelves for our customers”.

The Just Essentials range – which replaced Asda’s budget Smart Price offering – first rolled out in May 2022, with the supermarket claiming it would help families feeling the pinch of soaring inflation prices.

However the range came under fire for its bright yellow branding, which some claimed acts as a ‘poverty marker’ and alludes to the ‘yellow stickers’ commonly seen in the reduced section of supermarkets.

At the time, Asda said the bright colour was to help the product stand out on shelf, as the “vibrant new yellow brand” would “help customers find products easily in stores and online”.