New government data has found over half of Brits are buying less food as rising prices top list of consumer concerns
Over half of British consumers have reported buying less food as rising prices top the list of concerns, new figures show.
Data released by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), in its end of year Consumer Insights Tracker report, revealed 52 per cent of consumers say they are buying less food due to higher prices.
The figures, for the period between April 2025 and March 2026, also found 91 per cent are concerned about food prices, with 64 per cent eating food past its use by date to save money.
It comes as FPJ’s Big 50 Products supplement, out now, found that value sales across the fresh produce category have grown by 5.5 per cent, primarily driven by inflation in the category.
The FSA report also looked at longer term trends and behaviour change among consumers, linked to concerns around inflation.
Almost two thirds (60 per cent) said they have eaten leftovers that had been kept in the fridge for more than two days, with a third (33 per cent) turning off a hob or oven earlier to cook in residual heat.
“This latest data shows that food prices remain a top concern this year for most people we surveyed,” said FSA CEO, Katie Pettifer.
“Many people said that to save money they’d done risky things, like eating food past its use by date.”
Other concerns recorded by the Consumer Insights Tracker in March 2026 when prompted included ultra-processed food (77 per cent), food waste in the supply chain (77 per cent), animal welfare (76 per cent) and the quality of food (76 per cent).
CEO at the waste and recycling organisation, Wrap, Catherine David, said: “We know that 60 per cent of all wasted food comes from our homes – costing the average household of four around £1,000 a year.
“We work with the Food Standards Agency and our Love Food Hate Waste Campaign provides guidance on storing and using up food in a safe way,” she added.
Download the Fresh Produce Journal app (available from the App Store or Google Play) to read the FPJ Big 50 Products publication in full.
