Household budget battles knock rice off the menu

Commissioned by the Potato Council, the study looks at food and shopping habits of today and yesteryear and reveals that average weekly shopping bills today have rocketed by nearly 350 percent from the average bill our parents received.

The study of 2,000 UK households also found that consumers are now looking for ways to reduce their food bill, with many turning to their parents and grandparents for advice based on their own experiences in managing household budgets when times were tough.

Over half of the households quizzed (69%) today do a weekly ‘big shop’ for groceries, heading to a supermarket for their family’s food in one go, whereas the previous generation made on average four trips to local stores for groceries, buying what they needed when they needed it, reducing food and financial waste.

Jasmine Birtles, independent financial expert at moneymagpie.com explains, “Shoppers should take a few tips from the thrifty way granny shopped and cooked.  If you shop for your fruit and veg at local markets rather than the supermarket you should save about 30% on your food bill. Shopping locally will also save you a packet on petrol. Cook from scratch and shun expensive convenience foods so that you have less waste and save more money.”

The study also highlighted how consumers are starting to adapt their menus in an effort to watch their wallets.  76% of British households are now going ‘back to basics’ with their cooking and as the prices of pasta and rice rise, they are turning to other ‘store cupboard staples’, such as locally-grown potatoes, which are experiencing steady pricing and an increase in sales.

When asked about their parents’ experiences with household budgets and feeding a family, nearly half of those quizzed (47%) admitted to turning to them for advice on groceries and meal ideas when it comes to managing their household budgets, again driving the revival of British staples such as potatoes which contain only 100 calories per medium potato and absolutely no fat.

Jasmine continued, “Buying locally-grown food where you can means you’ll be supporting local farmers and saving on the rapidly increasing costs associated with transporting food from other countries – not to mention out-of-town shopping centres.”

"Bringing certain foods such as potatoes back into our diet will certainly cut down on family food bills.  Baked potatoes are a great way to feed a family on a budget and they really fill you up.  I have them at least once a week with a topping and salad.  Mashed potato is also a great way of making a meal go further which is why it's in great British staples like shepherd's pie and fish pie.  If families replace some meals that were rice or pasta-based with potatoes then their food budgets will go further."

Simon Rimmer, the BBC's Something for the Weekend chef, who is currently touring the country with the Potato Council, answering Mum's kitchen dilemmas and serving up mealtime solutions commented: "With the current credit crunch, a staple home-grown crop like potatoes is, as it was to our grandparents, so important. A bag of potatoes offers such tremendous value and so many options."

Since their introduction to the British plate in the late 1600s, potatoes have played a continual role as one of the nation’s favourite staple foods.  Good value for money, quick and easy to cook, and providing a wealth of essential nutrients, British potatoes are the ultimate taste sensation that have stood the test of culinary time, visit www.britishpotatoes.co.uk to find out more.

Notes to Editor

The Potato Council, supporting the British potato industry, is funded by potato growers and potato trade purchasers and is part of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (www.ahdb.org.uk),

If you would like to interview Jasmine Birtles or require further information, please call:

Kate Hopper       Nicola Hanley
kate.hopper@ketchum.com   Nicola.hanley@ketchum.com
020 7611 3713    020 7611 3612 
   

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