Leading food-related concerns among consumers in the UK in 2024

In 2024, approximately 69 percent of respondents in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland stated that they have concerns about food prices. This was the most common food-related concern among consumers. Moreover, the share of respondents who have concerns about food waste was about 63 percent.

Food price inflation in the UK

Food prices have been a major concern for households in the United Kingdom (UK) in recent years. In August 2021, the inflation rate for food prices started to increase in the UK was measured at 0.3 percent. Food prices started to climb rapidly in the following months, peaking at 19.1 percent in March 2023. The inflation rate started to decline from April 2023 and was measured at 1.9 percent in October 2024. Given this spike in food prices, many UK consumers worry about their households not being able to afford food in the next month. This concern is highest in Northern Ireland, where 35 percent of consumers stated this as a concern. The North East region follows, with 28 percent of consumers being concerned about not being able to afford food next month.

Food concerns in the UK by age group

British consumers between the ages of 35 and 44 are most worried about affording food for themselves and their households. Approximately 30 percent of consumers in this age group state this as a concern. Younger age groups display similar levels of concern, while the share of consumers worried about this issue among the elderly population is considerably lower. An issue with even higher levels of concern is the quality of food produced in the UK. The share of concerned consumers regarding this issue in the middle and younger age groups ranges between 54 and 56 percent. Concern levels on this topic also decline with age. By contrast, genetically modified food in the UK is a topic that particularly concerns older age groups. The younger the age group, the less concerned they are with this topic, although concern levels regarding genetically modified food are above or close to half of the consumers in each age group.