‘Almost every grocery shopper impacted by higher prices’

Almost every shopper in the UK is impacted by higher prices when it comes to buying groceries, the latest research has revealed.

According to Toluna, around 93 percent of grocery shoppers are impacted by higher prices. While 51 percent of people in the UK also believe they will be financially worse off in the next three months, 77 percent of respondents said the price of fresh foods had risen and nearly a third (32 percent) said that fresh food prices “increased a lot”.

Around 65 percent of people said that dried foods including pasta, rice, packet sauces and biscuits were now more expensive while 38 percent of respondents revealed that they are planning to switch to supermarkets and store own-label products to save money.

Additionally, 27 percent said they will change the number of snacks they buy and where they purchase them from.

However, not all respondents believed switching brands would be enough – 11 percent said they would turn to food banks if they needed to and 13 percent said they would seek benefits support.

“From our research, people are committed to making key lifestyle changes to ensure they keep the cost of living down as much as possible. Brands must understand this and be prepared to respond,” Toluna head of research for UK & Netherlands Lucia Juliano said.

“From switching products to shorter showers, cost is a key driver in daily activities, food choices, and social interests. It’s likely to become even stronger of a priority with higher interest rates and even more energy price hikes on the horizon.”

The revelation comes after Kantar claimed that more shoppers switching to discount grocers to save money as grocery inflation has hit 5.9 percent, marking its highest level since December 2011.