In 2024, approximately ** 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 abou**** 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 *** percent. Food prices started to climb rapidly in the following months, peaking at **** percent in March 2023. The inflation rate started to decline from April 2023 and was measured at *** 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 ** percent of consumers stated this as a concern. The North East region follows, with ** 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 ** 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.

According to a survey carried out in the United Kingdom in June 2023, a total of approximately ** percent of respondents stated that they their consumption of hyper-processed foods* decreased or decreased drastically within the last six months. Moreover, a total of about ** percent of respondents stated that their consumption of such products increased or increased drastically.

Provides a concise round-up of statistics on food covering the economic, social and environmental aspects of the food we eat. Source agency: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Designation: National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Food Statistics Pocket book

In 2024, the online food market showed a two percent sales increase in the United Kingdom (UK). It was a smaller increase than the one seen from 2022 to 2023. Monthly data from the second half of 2023 aligned with this trend and showed that the share of food retail sales made online plateaued at around nine percent. Fewer consumer goods in the shopping cart Rampant inflation and a general economic recession together with a return to brick-and-mortar changed the online spending intentions of buyers. Only one-fourth of UK consumers intended to purchase fast-moving consumer goods like groceries and household goods online. Nearly one in two users favored electronics, while clothing and footwear came third in the ranking of product categories bought on the internet. Grocery delivery against the clock When the purchase decision is made, some grocery products are still preferred over others due to delivery conditions. Shipping timing plays an important role in grocery shopping, as it affects the quality of delivered fresh products. About two-thirds of UK shoppers would buy frozen products and dry goods, leaving perishables near the end of the wishlist. A surprising 30 percent of UK shoppers claimed their groceries did not arrive fresh enough, the third-most common cause of a negative shopping experience in 2022.

Information about sample sizes, response rates, household characteristics, and expenditure uncertainty metrics for the Living Costs and Food Survey.

The market size of the United Kingdom's fast food and takeaway industry stood at **** billion British pounds in 2025. Meanwhile, employees in the sector numbered over *******. How many fast food and takeaway restaurants are in the UK? The number of businesses in the UK's takeaway and fast food sector totaled close to ****** as of April 2025. At the forefront of the industry are household names such as Greggs, KFC, and McDonald's, all of which regularly rank among the most popular dining brands in the UK. Greggs, in particular, has seen impressive growth in the past two decades, with the bakery chain's turnover more than tripling between 2006 and 2023. What is the most popular takeaway food in Great Britain? A 2023 survey asked consumers in Great Britain to rank their favorite type of takeaway food. ***** ended up being the most popular takeaway cuisine in Great Britain that year, with ** percent of respondents choosing the dish. Other popular takeaway options in the United Kingdom’s restaurant delivery and takeaway industry include Chinese, Italian, and Burgers.

United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data was reported at 2.500 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.600 % for 2021. United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data is updated yearly, averaging 1.650 % from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2022, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.500 % in 2022 and a record low of 0.700 % in 2019. United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. The percentage of people in the population who live in households classified as severely food insecure. A household is classified as severely food insecure when at least one adult in the household has reported to have been exposed, at times during the year, to several of the most severe experiences described in the FIES questions, such as to have been forced to reduce the quantity of the food, to have skipped meals, having gone hungry, or having to go for a whole day without eating because of a lack of money or other resources.;Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);;

Background:
A household food consumption and expenditure survey has been conducted each year in Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) since 1940. At that time the National Food Survey (NFS) covered a sample drawn solely from urban working-class households, but this was extended to a fully demographically representative sample in 1950. From 1957 onwards the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) provided information on all household expenditure patterns including food expenditure, with the NFS providing more detailed information on food consumption and expenditure. The NFS was extended to cover Northern Ireland from 1996 onwards. In April 2001 these surveys were combined to form the Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS), which completely replaced both series. From January 2008, the EFS became known as the Living Costs and Food (LCF) module of the Integrated Household Survey (IHS). As a consequence of this change, the questionnaire was altered to accommodate the insertion of a core set of questions, common to all of the separate modules which together comprised the IHS. Some of these core questions are simply questions which were previously asked in the same or a similar format on all of the IHS component surveys. For further information on the LCF questionnaire, see Volume A of the LCF 2008 User Guide, held with SN 6385. Further information about the LCF, including links to published reports based on the survey, may be found by searching for 'Living Costs and Food Survey' on the ONS website. Further information on the NFS and Living Costs and Food Module of the IHS can be found by searching for 'Family Food' on the GOV.UK website.

History:
The LCF (then EFS) was the result of more than two years' development work to bring together the FES and NFS; both survey series were well-established and important sources of information for government and the wider community, and had charted changes and patterns in spending and food consumption since the 1950s. Whilst the NFS and FES series are now finished, users should note that previous data from both series are still available from the UK Data Archive, under GNs 33071 (NFS) and 33057 (FES).

Purpose of the LCF
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has overall project management and financial responsibility for the LCF, while the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) sponsors the food data element. As with the FES and NFS, the LCF continues to be primarily used to provide information for the Retail Prices Index, National Accounts estimates of household expenditure, analysis of the effect of taxes and benefits, and trends in nutrition. The results are multi-purpose, however, providing an invaluable supply of economic and social data. The merger of the two surveys also brings benefits for users, as a single survey on food expenditure removes the difficulties of reconciling data from two sources. Design and methodology The design of the LCF is based on the old FES, although the use of new processing software by the data creators has resulted in a dataset which differs from the previous structure. The most significant change in terms of reporting expenditure, however, is the introduction of the European Standard Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP), in place of the codes previously used. An additional level of hierarchy has been developed to improve the mapping to the previous codes. The LCF was conducted on a financial year basis from 2001, then moved to a calendar year basis from January 2006 (to complement the IHS) until 2015-16, when the financial year survey was reinstated at the request of users. Therefore, whilst SN 5688 covers April 2005 - March 2006, SN 5986 covers January-December 2006. Subsequent years cover January-December until 2014. SN 8210 returns to the financial year survey and currently covers April 2015 - March 2016.

Northern Ireland sample
Users should note that, due to funding constraints, from January 2010 the Northern Ireland (NI) sample used for the LCF was reduced to a sample proportionate to the NI population relative to the UK.

Family Food database:
'Family Food' is an annual publication which provides detailed statistical information on purchased quantities, expenditure and nutrient intakes derived from both household and eating out food and drink. Data is collected for a sample of households in the United Kingdom using self-reported diaries of all purchases, including food eaten out, over a two week period. Where possible quantities are recorded in the diaries but otherwise estimated. Energy and nutrient intakes are calculated using standard nutrient composition data for each of some 500 types of food. Current estimates are based on data collected in the Family Food Module of the LCFS. Further information about the LCF food databases can be found on the GOV.UK Family Food Statistics web pages.

Secure Access version
A Secure Access version of the LCF from 2006 onwards is available from the UK Data Archive under SN 7047, subject to stringent access conditions. The Secure Access version includes variables that are not included in the standard End User Licence (EUL) version, including geographical variables with detail below Government Office Region, to postcode level; urban/rural area indicators; other sensitive variables; raw diary information files (derived variables are available in the EUL) and the family expenditure codes files. Users are strongly advised to check whether the EUL version is sufficient for their needs before considering an application for the Secure Access version.

Occupation data for 2021 and 2022 data files
The ONS have identified an issue with the collection of some occupational data in 2021 and 2022 data files in a number of their surveys. While they estimate any impacts will be small overall, this will affect the accuracy of the breakdowns of some detailed (four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)) occupations, and data derived from them. None of ONS' headline statistics, other than those directly sourced from occupational data, are affected and you can continue to rely on their accuracy. For further information on this issue, please see: https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/statementsandletters/occupationaldatainonssurveys.

DEFRA Family Food database:
This is available as a separate Access download zip file for those users who require it.

Latest edition information:
For the fifth edition (November 2023), the DEFRA Family Food Database has been updated; one case has been removed.

In a 2024 survey, ** percent of respondents from the United Kingdom stated that they purchase premium meat products and sausages. Respondents were the least likely to purchase premium baby food options.

In June 2025, around 24 percent of the UK population residing in the southern part of the country was doing the majority of shopping for food and beverages online. In comparison, that figure stood at 21 percent for Londoners and 15 percent for Scottishs.

The report covers Food Flavoring Manufacturers in UK and is segmented by Product Type (Flavors and Flavor Enhancers) and Application (Bakery and Confectionery, Dairy, Savory, Soups, Pastas and Noodles, Beverage, and Other Applications)

The National Food Survey was the predecessor of the Living Costs and Food Survey, and ran in some form from 1940 to 2000. Survey data from 1974 to 2000 is being provided as Open Data, in the form of tab-separated-value files in zip archive format, together with supporting background material in either tab-separated-value or Portable Document Format files.

More information on the Expenditure and Food Survey, the successor to the National Food Survey, and a link to archived National Food Survey reports for 1997 to 2000, can be found on the Family Food page on the GOV.UK site at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-food-statistics.

If you require the datasets in a more accessible format, please contact familyfood@defra.gsi.gov.uk

The data provides the food hygiene rating or inspection result given to a business and reflects the standards of food hygiene found on the date of inspection or visit by the local authority. Businesses include restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels and other places consumers eat, as well as in supermarkets and other food shop

The Expenditure and Food Survey is the successor to the National Food Survey which ran in some form from 1940 to 2000. Survey data from 2000 onwards is being considered for publication as Open Data.

More information on the Expenditure and Food Survey, the successor to the National Food Survey, and a link to archived National Food Survey reports for 1997 to 2000, can be found on the Family Food page on the GOV.UK site https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-food-statistics.

The release includes an appendix presenting numbers and types of incidents, reported to the Food Standards Agency, that have the potential to impact on the safety of food. The release adopts a broad definition of such incidents, in terms of their character, severity and the channel via which they are reported. It acknowledges that reporting may be incomplete. Source agency: Food Standards Agency Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: Annual report of incidents

Market Size statistics on the Food-Service Contractors industry in the UK