More than 1 in 5 Brits have cut spending on essential food as the cost-of-living crisis continues to intensify, according to the latest research from YouGov.
Some 21% of consumers polled said they have been forced to make cutbacks to their essential food and grocery spend since last November, with many switching to cheaper alternatives or simply going without.
The same number have also reported cutting their spend on household essentials like cleaning products. In both cases, this figure is up from 17% who reported doing the same in July.
Of the lowest income households – those earning less than £20,000 a year – almost a third (28%) have reduced spending on household essentials, while 29% have had to make cuts to their staple food budget.
Rapidly rising inflation and the highest food price rises for decades has seen even higher-income households – classified as those earning £60,000 or more per year – making cutbacks, with around one in nine (11%) forced to reduce spending on staple food items.
Of the cost-cutting measures taken, many of those polled have switched to cheaper alternatives, such as own-brand or value options. Some 16% of the respondents have said they made these swaps when buying staple food items, while 13% have also traded down on their non-essential food spending.
Other essential household items are also seeing the effect of consumers cutting back, with 15% of households opting for value and downgrading their toiletries and household essentials.
The news comes at the same time as a BBC Good Food survey reveals that soaring energy costs are already influencing kitchen habits, with 23% of households using the oven and hob less and 21% increasingly turning to the low-cost method of the microwave.
A fifth (20%) say they specifically look for money off or yellow reduced stickers on food when shopping, while 28% plan meals in advance and 23% batch cook to try to cut costs. A further 64% said they were cutting back on food waste in order to save money.
Christine Hayes, the editor-in-chief of BBC Good Food, said: “These findings reveal the extent to which rising food prices and energy costs have impacted on the way the nation eats in a relatively short space of time.
“Traditional cooking methods, the oven and the hob, are being switched off in favour of appliances that use less energy, and shopping baskets and mealtimes at home are looking very different.”
