Media release: Under embargo until 00:01 Wednesday 30 th March 2022
Five ways the cost-of-living squeeze is changing the nation’s eating and food shopping habits Hubbub launches Ways to Save campaign to make food go further A new survey commissioned by environmental charity Hubbub, asked over 3,000 UK residents1 how the increase in the cost of living was impacting their eating and shopping habits and the following clear themes emerged: 1. People are changing where they shop - 1 in 7 have already changed the
supermarket they usually shop at (a further 13% plan to) and 1 in 4 are already shopping around to get best prices for food across a range of shops 2. People are changing how they shop - 1 in 6 are doing more “big shops” and the same number are buying groceries in store more, rather than online. 3. People are changing what they buy - 1 in 4 are choosing more own branded products, 18% are already buying more tinned/frozen foods so they last (with
16% plan to start) 4. People are eating out less – over half (54%) said they’re already eating out less which is yet another blow to the hospitality industry 5. People are wasting less - almost 1 in 4 have already started to reduce food
waste in their household (24%) and 42% agree rising cost of food is encouraging them to be more creative with using leftovers/making meals go further The survey also found 1 in 6 participants fear they will go hungry as a result of the rise in the cost of living and 1 in 4 parents2 fear their children will go hungry. Hubbub is already seeing increasing demand across its Community Fridge Network. The Network shared an estimated 3,100 tonnes of food that might otherwise have gone to waste in 2021 through its 250 fridges, [see the 2021 impact report, published
today] and many of these have recently seen a sharp increase in the number of visitors facing financial hardship.
Helen Innes who supports eight community fridges across Milton Keynes said: “We’re signposting more people every day to other services such as food banks, topup shops and community larders in Milton Keynes. People that would usually top up using community fridges at the end of the month are now coming more frequently. Everyone is feeling the squeeze”. Community Fridges are also helping tackle social isolation by bringing people together to learn new skills and build resilience at what is going to be a tough time for many. Becky Wilson from the Goodness Community Fridge in Inverness said: “An 85 year-old man came down to the fridge and told me he hadn’t spoken to anyone in five days. He found a Peppa Pig cake and took it around to share with the neighbour’s kids. They now have tea and cake every two weeks together.” Ruth Khayumbi Karamoja from The Know Africa Community Fridge in Wythenshawe said: “Our hearts are overwhelmed - every day we see people coming through our doors and going out with their face filled with smiles. Food can bring people together in a way nothing else could.”
Today Hubbub launches “Ways to Save” a campaign helped shaped by research and insight from trials with national brands. These include No Time for Waste with Tesco which helped customers reduce food waste by 75% and save £16.50 a week; millions of M&S customers have been set the challenge to eat more plant-based food through Sparking Change; and Just Eat is helping customers order the right amount of food and use up all they buy, along with piloting a saver size option with commonly wasted chips. Aoife Allen, director of food at Hubbub says: “Our research suggests that the growing concern over the rise of living costs is already changing the way people are shopping and eating. As prices continue to increase, households are going to need more help to make their food stretch much further over the coming months. “Over the past two years Hubbub has partnered with some of the UK’s best-known food brands to gather deep insight from households across the UK on how they shop,
cook and eat. These insights and activities are more relevant today than ever and have helped inform our new campaign - Ways to Save - to help people get much more from their food. One in three of the people we surveyed said they’re going to need better cooking skills to make their food go further so we hope our tips and recipe ideas will inspire and help people eat well on a tight budget.” Hubbub’s Ways to Save campaign launches today and aims to help everyone buy only what they need, eat what they buy and cook more affordably. Here are five key tips from the campaign: 1. Eat what you buy – plan your meals, batch cook and freeze your leftovers 2. Share or take home surplus food – visit one of the 280 community fridges across the country that share surplus food and keep an eye on the ever-growing network, as Co-op are helping the Community Fridge Network to expand to 500. Or try out a food sharing app like Olio and Too Good To Go 3. Swap meat for cheaper alternatives like lentils or potatoes – it’s better on your pocket and on the planet 4. Order smart if you’re treating yourself to a takeaway – opt for the right portion and learn how to safely reheat leftovers 5. Cook smart – save money, time and emissions by cooking more efficiently eg. put lids on pans, use the microwave over the oven where possible and boil only the water you need. For more information on #WaysToSave on food, visit: https://www.hubbub.org.uk/ways-to-save-on-food
ENDS For more information contact the Hubbub team at Barley Communications: Katie Raby | katie.raby@barleycommunications.co.uk | 07986 533547 Maria Kortbech | maria.kortbech@barleycommunications.co.uk | 07952 507270 Notes to editors 1. Censuswide surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,012 UK residents from 25.02.2022 – 02.03.2022 2. Parents = all those with children under the age of 18
About Hubbub Hubbub is an award-winning charity and social enterprise that inspires ways of living that are good for the environment - disrupting the status quo to raise awareness, nudge behaviours and shape systems. Their aim is to revolutionise communications with the public about environmental issues - using everyday language and good design to make environmental actions desirable and tapping into things people are passionate about such as food, fashion, homes and neighbourhoods. This innovative approach saw Hubbub win the Charity of the Year Award in 2020 and Best Social Media Presence in 2021 at the prestigious Charity Times Awards. Since its formation in 2014, Hubbub has delivered more than 145 trailblazing environmental campaigns in collaboration with over 2,300 partners, helping to shift the national debate on key environmental issues such as food waste, sustainable fashion, air pollution and recycling. Hubbub’s campaigns include #LeedsByExample which brought together 25 of the UK’s largest companies to boost recycling on the high street, a 3-year partnership with IKEA to create the world’s largest consumer-facing sustainability campaign ‘Live Lagom’ and creating a network of 280 (and counting) Community Fridges across the UK which, in 2021, redistributed an estimated 3,100 tonnes of surplus food and welcomed over 200,000 visitors.