Brits are spending less money on food in cost-of-living crisis – but still dining out

Surprisingly, the French – renowned for their “bon viveur” culture of fine dining – were among the most willing to cut back on eating out (40 percent), compared to 38 percent of Germans, and just 31 percent of Brits.

And nearly half (47 percent) of respondents in Greece – another country with a proud culinary tradition – said they were eating at restaurants less often.

Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of French adults have stopped ordering as many takeaways, too – which is higher than the UK (23 percent), the Netherlands (18 percent), and Germany (17 percent).

The study comes as 45 percent of Brits admitted they were worried they will have to compromise on the quality of their purchases – and more than a quarter were also worried about having to do so with the health and environmental impact of their food.

A spokesman for Flora, which commissioned the research, said: “It’s interesting to get a gauge on what the habits are when it comes to our food and spending habits.

“As we’re seeing in the UK and across Europe, people are having to make difficult choices when it comes to dealing with the cost of living.

“We want to provide value for consumers with products that don’t compromise on performance or taste, but there are small habits we can change to try to help with rising costs.

“One of the ways is switching out alternatives, like dairy butter, in place of substitutes such as Flora 100 percent natural ingredients, which can alleviate some of the difficulties whilst also doing your bit for the planet.

“In the UK and Ireland, Flora 100 percent Natural Ingredients has at least 50 percent less climate impact than dairy butter.”

The study also found 43 percent of Brits are now buying less in their food shop to ease the cost-of-living crisis.

Other common tactics included buying reduced-priced goods (40 percent), and planning meals more (40 percent).

Cutting back on takeaways (30 percent), and freezing food (28 percent), were also popular measures.

More than a quarter (27 percent) are making swaps in their diet, such as changing butter for margarine and spreads, while others are buying more frozen produce (21 percent), and bulk-buying (20 percent).

And one in ten (11 percent) are switching to plant-based alternatives to reduce food costs.

When it comes to deciding what to buy, cost was the highest consideration for three-quarters of Brits (76 percent), along with quality (66 percent) and taste (52 percent).

In fact, across all European nations polled, cost ranked as the highest consideration when deciding which items to buy for their food shops.

In France, 38 percent said they were buying less in their food shop, which dropped to 32 percent in Poland, and just 28 percent in Germany.

Half of Poles are now planning their meals more – but this drops to just 32 percent in both the Netherlands and Greece.

The Flora spokesman added: “There are some interesting trends developing across the continent, and every country polled seems to have a different way of dealing with the pressures they face.

“It shows there are different ways which we can get creative with the options we have available – and hopefully we can take some inspiration from others.

“We’ve shared some of our top tips and ways shoppers might be able to avoid simply buying less in their weekly basket.”

Flora is offering coupons to customers to give them £1 off their next purchase of 450g or 1kg pots. Visit here for more information.

FLORA’S TIPS FOR SAVING MONEY ON THE WEEKLY FOOD SHOP:

• LOOK OUT FOR REDUCED PRICE GOODS. Many do this already, presumably because it’s one of the times it might be worth diverting from the shopping list to buy items which are nearing the end of their shelf life and have been reduced – you just have to remember to use them before they go off.
• PLANNING MEALS MORE. This helps you to avoid unnecessary waste, as you can plan meals which use similar ingredients throughout the week.  
• FREEZE MORE OF YOUR FOOD. This helps to avoid food going out of date before they can eat it, as freezing food can prolong the shelf life.     
• USE LOYALTY CARDS IN SUPERMARKETS. This can help consumers access deals on branded products, to bring prices down even further .  
• MAKE SWAPS. Swap items, such as butter, for better value spreads.
• BUY MORE FROZEN PRODUCE. This means items can then be defrosted in the refrigerator when you’re ready to use them.   
• BULK BUYING. It makes sense to buy larger packs and then defrost what you need.
• DON’T DO THE FOOD SHOP WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY. This is a common way to get side-tracked from the shopping list and spend more than you need.
• SWITCH TO PLANT-BASED ALTERNATIVES. This can potentially save you money, so can be a great way to get value for money while also doing your bit for the planet.