Leisure Range Cookers has analysed UK government data on the foods purchased each week over the last 25 years to reveal just how much the UK’s food buying habits have changed over the years.
- Cutback on Carbs: There has been more than a 50% drop in purchases of white bread and potatoes
- Wine and Champagne consumption has increased by 77% as more Brits entertain at home
- Over 25 years, meat and fish purchases have declined by nearly 20%
- With three-and-a-half times more purchases since 1993, Liqueur, cocktails, soya and novel protein foods have had the biggest change than any other food group
- Dairy and fats/sugars have seen the biggest drop in purchases by -35% and -33% respectively
Leisure, a leading range cooker brand, has analysed UK government data to find out how our weekly food purchases have changed over the last 25 years. You can view the full findings here.
We’ve become a nation obsessed with food, dieting, and health, but just how much has this impacted the types of food we’ve purchased over the last generation? There are multiple factors impacting our food purchases, such as product availability, cost, and health. Leisure has identified the most popular food purchases from 1993 and compared them to what we’re scanning in the supermarkets today, to find out just how much our food and beverage habits have changed.
The data reveals the UK’s biggest diet changes have been alcoholic beverages, soya and novel protein foods, such as Quorn, with both product categories increasing in sales by 350%. It comes as no surprise, that as a population we’re consuming more protein-based products, studies have shown it’s beneficial for bone health and boosting metabolism.
The nation is opting for healthier eating choices as food groups including dairy and fats/sugar have seen the biggest drop, with both declining by over 30%.
In 1993, liqueurs and cocktail purchases per person, per week sat at two units and spirits and mixers at one unit – fast forward to figures from 2017/18 and liqueurs and cocktail purchases have increased by seven units and spirits and mixers by two units. The data also highlights further rises in the consumption of alcoholic beverages, as wine and champagne has jumped up 77% since 1993, showcasing that entertaining at home has become increasingly popular.
The top 10 food and beverage products with the highest percentage increase of consumption per adult per week over 25 years:
The 10 food and beverage products that have had the biggest decreases in purchases per adult per week over 25 years:
The impact on health
In 1993 the UK population was buying almost double the amount of white bread than they were brown and wholemeal and although overall the UK is eating less brown and wholemeal bread than they were 25 years ago, the data has revealed that white bread has seen a much bigger decline in consumption (down 56%).
Over the last 25 years, we’ve seen more and more communication regarding eating five pieces of fruit and veg a day and how we should eat less red meat and it seems these messages are hitting home. Fresh fruit purchases have jumped up by 23% and there has been a decrease in red meat consumption, such as beef and veal (-17.5%) and mutton and lamb (-45.5%), all of which have been on the decline since 1993. Chicken (uncooked) on the other hand has increased.
Time-poor lifestyles and the increased demand for convenience has resulted in a large uplift in ready-meal consumption from 97g in 1993 to 179g in 2017/18. Research from Euromonitor found that the UK’s ready meals market is the largest in Europe and has posted an average of 2.5% year-on-year growth since 2003.
We’ve also seen a big Italian influence on our diet, with Pizza being the only pre-prepared food product in the top ten, sitting in ninth place; the UK is buying over double the amount of pizza now than in 1993 (87g in 2017/18 compared to 39g in 2013). Similarly, pasta is highlighted as a regularly purchased product, increasing in popularity by 175%, rice is also not far behind, seeing a rise of 136%.
For more information on how the UK’s diet habits have changed over the last 25 years, visit Leisure.
