Shopper Trends, Global Food Security and The Role of Science in the Food Chain. UK, June 2011.

1. Shopper Trends, Global Food Security and The Role of Science in the Food Chain Prepared by Network Research - June 2011

4. Gender and age % 31% 31% 69% As we wanted the majority of our respondents to be primary shoppers, the demographics reflects this with over 2 in 3 respondents being female

5. Social grade % ABC1 67% C2DE 33% Over two-thirds of respondents classified themselves as being in the ABC1 group

9. Current household food shopping bill Over two thirds of respondents believe that their current food shopping bill was “significantly more expensive” or “more expensive” than 12 months ago

10. Reasons – Current household food bill more expensive

11. “ Everything that I would normally buy, or used to buy and have now stopped buying or replaced with cheaper alternatives has increased in price by at least 10%. I am a canny shopper so a lot of items I now only buy when they are on special offer.” Male/45-54/ABC1 “ I have the same monthly budget for food that I had a year ago, although I purchase fewer items and fewer branded items than twelve months ago, I find myself using my food budget up quicker than a year ago.” Male/35-44/ABC1 “ I have to select recipes with less expensive types of food to keep my bill at the same level as twelve months ago. If I were to still buy the products I did twelve months ago, my food bill would be a lot more expensive.” Female/35-44/ABC1 “ Last year I could buy all the basic food stuffs I needed, household cleaning agents and a few treats for about £22 a week. Since February I have really struggled to complete the same shopping, less luxury food items for under £35 a week. My weekly treat of a pizza and bottle of Hoegaarden has now become monthly.” Female/25-34/ABC1 “ Basic items like pasta, bread and sugar etc have shot up in price. I only buy fruit & eggs that is on offer now. Otherwise my bill would be unaffordable.” Female/35-44/C2DE “ I am very certain food prices are going up on an extraordinary level. The VAT has gone up to 20% here. I am definitely paying more for the same products than I was 12 months. You just notice it.” Male/25-34/C2DE Reasons – Current household food bill more expensive

12. Average food spend per week Over half of respondents (55%) in the 18-24 years age band spend £50 or less on their weekly food shopping One in four respondents between 45 and 54 years old spend more than £100 each week on their food supplies Unsurprisingly, larger households with two children under the age of 18 spend significantly more on grocery shopping than households without children (£88 vs. £57) The average shopper spends £66.80 per week on their household food shopping

13. Frequency of food shopping Younger primary shoppers (18-24) tend to purchase food more frequently i.e. 2 to 3 times per week than 35 to 44 years old shoppers (38% vs. 23%) While not significant, the proportion of respondents shopping once every week or every two weeks is higher in the North than in the Southern region of the country (65% vs. 58%). The one week main shop with some top up shopping is the most popular choice of behaviour

14. Household food shopping patterns in the last 12 months Please note that only top 2 and bottom 2 boxes have been shown. More than half of 45-54 shoppers agree that they pay more attention to labels. The proportion drops in the age band 35-44, where less than 4 in 10 agree or strongly agree with the statement. Eight in ten woman agree or strongly agree that they are more conscious of their food spending, a significantly higher proportion than men (71%) 68% of 45-54 years old agree that they buy fewer luxury items, a significantly higher proportion than 18 to 24 years old (53%) Again, a significantly higher proportion of woman (66%) than men (57%) agree that reducing waste is important to them Shoppers have become far more conscious about what they are spending and are purchasing fewer luxuries

15. Household food shopping patterns in the last 12 months Please note that only top 2 and bottom 2 boxes have been shown. The proportion of woman that agree they are looking for ways to stretch their food budget is significantly higher than men (74% vs. 60%). Likewise, social grade has a significant impact on the necessity of stretching household food budget. 74% of C2DE agree with the statement, compared to 67% of ABC1 Again, gender plays a determinant role: a significantly higher proportion of woman than men agree that they are taking advantage of special offers (83% vs. 66%) Almost two in three (62%) C2DE and households with more than 4 adults (63%) agree than they buy more of the Supermarket value lines than they used to

16. Household food shopping patterns in the last 12 months Please note that only top 2 and bottom 2 boxes have been shown. Four in ten C2DE agree that they are cutting down other expenses in order to pay their food bills, a significantly higher proportion than ABC1 45% of shoppers in households that spend between £101 and £150 a week on food agree that they are reducing other expenses in order to meet their food needs. As expected, the proportion of shoppers who spend between 0 to £50 agreeing with this statement is significantly lower (34%) A significantly greater proportion of woman than men ( 65% vs. 57%) state that their food bills now accounts for a greater share of their household budget As seen in the previous statement, respondents whose weekly shopping expenditure is between £101 and £150 are significantly more likely to agree that their food shopping accounts for a greater proportion of their household expenditure Higher food prices are taking a larger slice of household income and making shoppers about what they buy

17. Household food shopping patterns in the last 12 months Unsurprisingly the ABC1 group are significantly more likely to agree that they will continue to buy what is best for their family regardless of price the C2DE group (49% vs. 38%) While the C2DE group are significantly more likely to state that they are having to go without key items that they used to purchase because of the current food prices (40% vs. 29%) Please note that only top 2 and bottom 2 boxes have been shown. Over 2 in 5 respondents agree that they will continue to buy what is best for their family regardless of the current prices

18. Comparing current prices of selected foods to 12 months ago A significantly higher proportion of shoppers falling into the 45-54 age group believe prices for most items are more expensive than shoppers between 18 and 24 years old (Fruit and vegetables 78% vs. 58%/ Meat 88% vs. 62%/ Staples 69% vs. 36%) Almost four in five shoppers (75%) assess the price of meat products to be more expensive that a year ago. The proportion rises to 80% in households with two children. Please note that only top 2 and bottom 2 boxes have been shown. Shoppers have seen price increases across all the categories presented

19. Attitudes towards food purchasing – Organic Food Please note that only top 2 and bottom 2 boxes have been shown. Food should be produced using sustainable resources Organic food is too expensive I am willing to spend more for Organic Food % Agree % Disagree 22 55 82 4 68 4 Surprisingly, young shoppers between 18 and 24 years old seem to be less concerned about food being produced with sustainable resources compared to older shoppers in the 55-64 age band (63% vs. 73%) The belief that organic food is too expensive is significantly more marked in woman and shoppers between 55 and 64 years old. Almost two in three (62%) C2DE are unwilling to spend more for organic food. As expected, household that spend between £101 and £150 a week on food are significantly more likely to agree that they are willing to spend more on organically produced food Shoppers want to buy food from sustainable sources but are not willing to trade into more expensive organic options

20. Attitudes towards food purchasing – local and Fairtrade sourced food I prefer to buy food produced in Britain I prefer to buy locally sourced food I prefer to buy food that is from Fairtrade sources % Agree % Disagree 53 10 41 18 58 8 ABC1 are significantly more likely to agree that they prefer to buy food produced in the UK. Six in ten respondents from the Mid region express a preference for British grown and produced food Female, 55 to 64 shoppers and once again ABC1 are significantly more likely to buy locally sourced food A significantly greater proportion of ABC1 than C2DE (47% vs. 30%) agree that they prefer to buy food from Fairtrade sources. Please note that only top 2 and bottom 2 boxes have been shown.

33. Has the time of cheap food come to an end ? 64% Two thirds of our sample agreed that the time For cheap food had come to an end. There was a bias in results towards the older, female and high spending shopper. How will this impact on our choices for the future....?

43. Thank you For further information relating to this study please contact Giles Shapley [email_address]