Healthy eating is a casualty of cost of living

As the cost of living bites, UK consumers are cutting back on perceived healthy food choices, with fewer now buying organic or consciously avoiding genetically modified crops.

That’s according to new IPA TouchPoints 2022 data looking at daily lifestyle choices and food purchasing decision-making in the light of current inflationary and income pressures. 

Why it matters

The data reveals a strong correlation between consumers’ squeezed budgets and their less healthy food choices. And since the data was collected in Q1 it’s likely that these behaviours will only have become more pronounced. 

Financial concerns increase

• The number of adults saying they are coping on their current salary has fallen 5.5% since pre-2020 lockdown to the first quarter of this year, from 67.4% to 63.7%. 
• Half of young adults and just under two thirds of women say they are coping on their current income. 
• Over a quarter of adults and 40% of the younger generation feel their level of debt will increase in the next few years, with this figure rising by over 50% for 35-54 year olds since pre-lockdown 2020.

Food ethics are less of an issue

• The number of adults preferring to eat organic food has fallen by almost a third in early 2022, particularly among younger generations and women.
• The number of all adults preferring not to buy food that has been genetically modified has dropped by almost 40%.

• The number of adults who state they always read the labels on packaging before they buy food is down by almost a quarter.

Key quote

“People are having to buy what they can afford rather than having the luxury of choice ... for brands, it may be prudent to focus their comms activity on asserting value for money, on staples vs luxury items and on being seen to be in tune and supportive of their consumers at this tough time” – Belinda Beeftink, Research Director, IPA.

Sourced from IPA