We began by asking the participants of the survey if the current economic climate had changed how they buy food. More than half of those surveyed said no, with 35% reporting that they had changed their behaviour and 15% being unsure.
Over three-quarters of those surveyed admitted that they are now buying more food on special offer, such as buy-one-get-one-free or three-for-two offers. 35% said they are also buying less convenience products such as ready meals and ready prepared vegetables. Furthermore, 26% are choosing to buy less expensive cuts of meat. With regards to fresh produce, there are no major changes, although 9% are buying more frozen food, 5% are buying less fresh fruit and only 3% are buying less fresh vegetables.
We also asked if people had changed their lifestyle in terms of going out to eat, and more than half of the people (54%) admitted that they are eating out less this year than last year. Contrary to anecdotal reports from fast food outlets, the people we surveyed are not buying more takeaway food this year than they did last year, and in fact, 34% of people revealed that they are buying less takeaway food, with 65% buying the same amount as last year.
When asked how concerned they were about food waste, nearly 3 out of 4 people are very or quite concerned about food waste, and have become so only in the last year.
The results of this survey clearly demonstrate that in times of recession, people will think more carefully about how they spend their money in all aspects of their lifestyle, including food shopping, and will make changes to their spending habits accordingly. Consumers are more aware of special offers and more likely to avail of them. However, they are conscious of not overbuying as they want to keep food waste to a minimum.
Consumers are cutting down on convenience by buying less ready meals and ready-prepared veg, yet they are still buying the same amount of fresh produce as well as eating out less, indicating that, encouragingly, people are cooking more at home and preparing their own meals instead of buying expensive ready meals. |
