More people are concerned about the cost of Christmas this year as 69% of consumers have taken at least one action to save money on food, new data shows.
According to research from the Food Standards Agency (FCA) Consumer Insights Tracker, for those looking to cut costs, 25% have bought food items with a ‘yellow-sticker’ and 33% are switching to cheaper brands.
A further 23% have said they will be buying less food than usual this Christmas, while 17% are purchasing less fresh food and more long-life foods instead.
As 81% of consumers have reported being concerned over food prices, up from 62% in November 2021, others have also been left worried about food availability, the quality and safety of food, as well as the impact of food production on the environment.
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“For many, Christmas and New Year is a time for getting together with family and friends and food is a large part of the celebrations,” FSA chief executive, Emily Miles said.
“While our data shows some monthly measures relating to food affordability and food insecurity have improved in November 2022 compared to the previous month, it also shows that people are more concerned about food affordability this festive season than they were last year.”
Miles added that “to make food go further”, the FSA is encouraging people to follow its tips for keeping food safe, which includes checking if turkey packaging is suitable for home freezing, if purchased in advance of Christmas day.
The recommendations also suggest keeping friges on and using them at the correct temperature of 5C or lower to prevent food poisoning, and setting freezers to -18C to delay chemical reactions in food.
