Price still dominates the food-related concerns of the UK public, although there are signs that the proportion of people struggling to afford food is in decline amid falling rates of inflation.
End of year results from the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) monthly consumer insights tracker showed that food prices were an issue of concern for 87% of respondents in March 2024. This was well ahead of the second greatest concern – ultra-processed, or the over-processing of, food – at 77%, followed by food inequality at 75%.
The FSA said the proportion of respondents reporting concern about these topics has remained broadly stable since July 2023, however the number of consumers saying they were worried about their household’s ability to afford food in the next month has declined from 28% in July 2023 to 22% in February and March 2024.
This has coincided with a softening in the headline rate of inflation. ONS data showed the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 1.5% in the year to June 2024, the lowest annual rate since October 2021 and down from 17.4% a year ago.
The report also showed that those worried about food affordability were more likely to report taking food safety risks to save money, such as lowering the cooking temperature of food or turning off a fridge or freezer that contains food. Overall, in March 2024 one in four (25%) of those people surveyed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland said they had done at least one ‘risky’ food behaviour in the last month to save money.
Overall confidence in the food supply chain has increased gradually from 55% in July 2023 to 60% in March 2024, according to the survey.
“This latest data shows that the cost of buying food is still a worry for most consumers,” said Michelle Patel, deputy director, analysis at the FSA. “While we’ve seen a slight improvement, still over one in five of us tell us they are worried about affording food. It is particularly concerning that some say they are resorting to risky food safety practices to save money.”
