British shoppers are switching from fresh to frozen food as they try to keep down spending amid the cost of living crisis, retail data suggests.
With food price inflation running at 18.2%, high energy prices, and shortages of salad vegetables due to unfavourable weather in Europe, the rising cost of the weekly shop has been a major contributor to the financial strain on UK households.
Shoppers are increasingly turning to frozen food. According to research from Kantar, analysts covering retail in Great Britain, demand was highest for products like frozen chicken, for which volumes increased by 5.9% in the 12 weeks to 20 March. Frozen prepared food sales, which include ready dinners, pizzas, and chips, rose 2.6%.
Frozen food volumes held steady, even as shoppers were buying less. Total grocery volumes fell by 4%, while the volume of frozen goods bought was unchanged, the data for the same period showed.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK's food price inflation reached 18.2% in the year that ended in February. According to statistical modelling, that was the quickest increase in food prices since August 1977, when it was predicted to reach 21.9%.