Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: How is inflation currently affecting grocery shopping habits?
How is inflation affecting our eating habits? Thanks for asking. The past year has seen the highest inflation rates in over 45 years, and consumers have adapted by changing their shopping habits. That's particularly true when it comes to grocery shopping. While annual inflation fell slightly to 10.1% in the year to March 2023, figures for food and drink alone reached 19.1%.
If you break it down further, for some food categories the rate is even higher. For example, the price of sugar has risen by a whopping 42.1% in just a year. According to research by consumer association Which, the average shopping basket now costs between £72 and £92.
Chapter 2: Which food items are consumers giving up due to rising prices?
The total varies from supermarket to supermarket, with Aldi consistently coming in as the cheapest, while Waitrose is most expensive. Which items are people giving up as a result? Meat has traditionally been among the most expensive food categories, and many people are now eating less of it than before.
Plant-based alternatives are becoming more popular, and it's a smart move by consumers, at least from a financial point of view. An October 2021 study published in The Lancet found that flexitarian diets were 14% cheaper than those that were high in meat and dairy.
Chapter 3: Are people still managing to eat healthily despite inflation?
Fully vegetarian or vegan diets were even less expensive. There's a general feeling that other luxury items also have to be given up in order to get by. Let's listen to shoppers in Nottingham talking to GB News as part of a recent report.
Prices are going up by the week.
Chapter 4: What alternative strategies are consumers using to adapt to higher food costs?
Doesn't go in pennies, it goes up in pounds. Luxury goods have gone right out the window, down to basics now.
Are people still managing to eat healthily? We've established that it is still possible to get a balanced diet, even on a shoestring budget. We shared our tips in a recent episode, which we recommend you check out if you haven't yet listened to. But just because it's possible, that doesn't mean that everyone is doing it.
A lot of people are ditching fresh food because prices are rising faster than those of processed, packaged foods. Unfortunately, while cheaper, these alternatives are also often high in fat, salt and sugar, and they tend to contain flavour enhancers and preservatives.
Overall, they're much more likely to make people obese, and there are links to various other health problems too, like diabetes and heart disease. According to a survey by the Food Standard Agency's Consumer Insights Tracker in November 2022, 29% of Brits can't afford to eat a healthy diet. How else are consumers adapting?
Other approaches include eating smaller portions and eating items after the best-before date rather than throwing them out.
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Chapter 5: How can consumers balance their diets while facing inflation?
Brand loyalty has gone out of the window too, with many shoppers switching to less expensive store brands. Energy prices have also soared over the last year, so some are eating food cold rather than hot, given the energy costs associated with cooking it. There you have it. Now you know how inflation is changing our eating habits.
In under three minutes, we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. Listen along and you will really know for sure.