Almost 60% of UK consumers believe that companies should be taxed heavily if they are producing or promoting unhealthy choices, according to new data from NielsenIQ.
The research also shows that 60% of UK households also say it is important to buy sustainably produced grocery products to help save the environment
The data reveals that 54% of UK consumers pay attention to labelling/food nutritional values when grocery shopping, with sugar (45%), fat (41%), and salt (31%) content having the biggest impact on purchase decisions.
However, data from NielsenIQ shows that shoppers in the UK face a challenge of doing good for their personal health and planet while managing the rise in food and living expenses because of the current inflation in the country.
The research shows the three most important concerns about grocery products for UK shoppers are reducing food waste (45%), buying local/British (36%), and minimal/no packaging (26%). However, although consumers expressed a will to switch to sustainable product packaging, shopping behaviour did not always reflect this willingness.
Recent data from NielsenIQ from the week ending 4 June 2022 shows that value sales for bagged salad rose 2.7% year-on-year, while total salad declined by 4.8%. This is also the case for prepared fruit (+15.6%), compared with total fruit (-3.9%).
Katrina Bishop, UK thought leadership activation manager at NielsenIQ, said: “With 49% of households focussing on value for money when buying new food and drink products, UK shoppers find themselves in a bit of a fix as they struggle to balance tight budgets with their health and sustainability values. We may see a slight shift in priorities from shoppers as they seek to find alternative ways to balance this, for example, cutting back on grocery spending and on meat may result in cooking with fresh vegetables rather than seeking out meat alternatives.”
