UK consumers want Government action to curb food price inflation

Rising food prices are driving a major shift in way UK shoppers buy and think about food.

New research finds that in response to inflation-busting increases in the cost of food, UK consumers are changing their weekly shopping habits to balance the household budget, targeting more promotions and value lines, buying fewer luxury items, and reducing other areas of expenditure.

Consumers are also becoming more informed and concerned about the global factors affecting current food prices and the security of food supply for future generations. Consistently more than half of shoppers are worried about the impact of issues such as climate change, population growth, water and energy supplies on the future availability and affordability of food.

The independent survey by leading market research agency Network Research, commissioned by the UK Crop Protection Association, asked a representative cross-section of more than 1000 UK shoppers how their food purchasing habits and attitudes to food production had changed over the past 12 months.

According to the survey, most shoppers agree that the era of cheap food has come to an end, and want the UK to become more self-sufficient in food production. Three-quarters of respondents think the Government should be doing more to prevent further increases in the cost of food.

The majority of consumers also agree that science should be applied to help boost food output, and believe the Government should take a lead in the use of science in food production.

’Not surprisingly, the results of this survey show that UK shoppers are becoming more savvy and price conscious in their weekly food shop, and that for many people, increases in the cost of food are hitting other areas of household expenditure,’ said CPA chief executive Dominic Dyer.

’Perhaps the most striking feature of this research is the strong connection consumers make between domestic food prices and the impact of global factors such as population growth, climate change, rising oil prices and the increased frequency of natural disasters.’

’There is an overwhelming view among respondents that the Government should be doing more to keep food prices down, and a clear recognition that the use of science and technology has an important role to play in producing more food using fewer resources and with reduced impact on the environment.’

’Consumers rightly want an assurance that the use of technologies such as genetic modification (GM) and pesticides is properly regulated and controlled, but they have an increasing recognition of the role such technologies can play in providing a safe, secure and affordable food supply, for example by increasing crop yields and preventing harvest losses to pests and diseases.’

’This is a wake-up call to policy-makers and regulators across Europe that the global food security crisis is urgent and immediate, and that consumers want Government action to control food price inflation. Continued advances in plant science and crop protection will be critical to meeting our future food needs, but they must be matched by a science-based EU regulatory environment which supports rather than stifles research investment and innovation in agricultural science,’ said Mr Dyer.