This statistic shows total consumer spending on food in the UK from 2005 to 2023. In 2023, consumer spending was approximately 128 billion British pounds, up from the previous year.

Bread and bakery manufacturing was the largest subsector of the UK food industry by company count. Approximately, 2,910 enterprises operated in the subsector. Beer manufacturing ranked second, with less than half the enterprise count.

In 2024, approximately 69 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 about 63 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 0.3 percent. Food prices started to climb rapidly in the following months, peaking at 19.1 percent in March 2023. The inflation rate started to decline from April 2023 and was measured at 1.9 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 35 percent of consumers stated this as a concern. The North East region follows, with 28 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 30 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.

United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data was reported at 1.100 % in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.700 % for 2019. United Kingdom UK: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data is updated yearly, averaging 1.500 % from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2020, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.100 % in 2016 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.

For the second edition (May 2011), the variables A012p and A013p in file dvper were replaced with new versions to correct data errors. For the third edition (June 2011), a new version of the DV Set89 data file was deposited. The variable COI_PLUS (Coicop-plus expenditure code) has been updated to correct truncated codes that were present in the previous version. For the fourth edition (July 2011), the Specs2009 document was replaced with an updated version. The previous version contained some notes that were no longer needed.

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

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)

As of 2019/2020, a combined 65 percent of the respondents aged from 45 to 54 years old in the United Kingdom (UK) agreed that they liked to experiment with new things to eat, compared to 63 percent of the 18 to 24 year-olds. Approximately three percent of the respondents within the 35-44 years old age group strongly disagreed with this statement.

Characteristics of sampled households in the Living Costs and Food Survey.

The UK Dog Food Market is segmented by Pet Food Product (Food, Pet Nutraceuticals/Supplements, Pet Treats, Pet Veterinary Diets) and by Distribution Channel (Convenience Stores, Online Channel, Specialty Stores, Supermarkets/Hypermarkets). The market volume and value are presented in metric ton and USD respectively. The key data points include the market size of pet food by products, distribution channels, and pets.

This statistic shows the share of domestic food consumption with EU origin in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2023. In 2023, 24 percent of domestic food consumed in the UK had an EU origin.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Background and coverage over time:
The National Food Survey (NFS), which ran from 1974-2000, was the longest-running continuous survey of household food consumption and expenditure in the world. It was originally set up in 1940 by the then Ministry of Food to monitor the adequacy of the diet of urban 'working class' households in wartime, but it was extended in 1950 to become representative of households throughout Great Britain (the UK Data Archive holds NFS data from 1974-2000 only). In 1996 the survey was extended to cover Northern Ireland. The NFS provided a wealth of information which made a major contribution to the study of the changing patterns of household food consumption. About 8,000 households took part in the NFS each year. The household member who did most of the food shopping was asked some questions about the household and its food purchasing. They were then asked to keep a diary for seven days, recording food coming into the household, including quantities and expenditure, and some detail of the household meals (including snacks and picnics prepared from household supplies). From 2001, the NFS and Family Expenditure Survey were merged into the Expenditure and Food Survey (now the Living Costs and Food Survey) (LCF). The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), is now responsible for the 'Family Food' component of the LCF.

Open access NFS datasets now available:
In 2016, as part of a programme to widen public access to data, DEFRA published open access versions of the 1974-2000 NFS data. They contain less detailed data than these standard End User Licence versions. For example, the open access datasets only contain household-level data and not person-level data (though some person data fields have been extracted and are supplied as a new table so that details of whether anyone in the household was pregnant at the time of the survey, and whether there were any children under the age of 2). Furthermore, age has been banded, and head of household's gross income and records for households with more than 10 members have been removed. The open access datasets are available to download without registration from the UK Data Service under SN 7945 - National Food Survey, 1974-2000: Open Access Data and also from the data.gov.uk Family Food open data webpage. Further details of changes made to the open access data and information on the project is described on the DEFRA blog, Feeding the hunger for data.


Main Topics:
Each household which participated in the NFS did so voluntarily, and without payment, for one week only. By regularly changing the households surveyed, information was obtained continuously throughout the year except for a short break at Christmas. Each household was provided with a specially designed log-book in which the person principally responsible for domestic food arrangements provided information about each household. The main diary-keeper kept a record each day for seven days, with guidance from an interviewer, of all food entering the home intended for human consumption. Information about characteristics of the household and of its members was recorded on a separate questionnaire.

Cost of food in the United Kingdom increased 3.30 percent in February of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Food Inflation - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

United Kingdom Imports from Turkey of Food preparations not specified elsewhere was US$26.29 Million during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. United Kingdom Imports from Turkey of Food preparations not specified elsewhere - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on March of 2025.

The Food and You Surveys (2010-2018), and Food and You 2 (2020- ) are bi-annual, cross-sectional surveys of adults aged 16 years and over living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, commissioned by the Food Standards Agency. Food and You provides data about the prevalence of different attitudes, reported behaviour and knowledge about ways in which food is purchased, stored, prepared and eaten.

Food and You, 2010-2018
From 2010, Food and You became the FSA’s flagship social survey. In addition, the FSA conducted regular tracking surveys including the bi-annual Public Attitudes Tracker and annual Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) Consumer Attitudes Tracker (these studies are not held at UKDS. From Wave 4, Food and You included new questions to cover affordability of food, choice, security and sustainability.

Food and You 2, 2020-
In 2018, the FSA’s Advisory Committee for Social Science (ACSS) recommended that Food and You and the Public Attitudes Tracker were replaced with a new ‘push-to-web’ survey, Food and You 2, which was commissioned in 2019 with data collection commencing in July 2020. Due to differences in the survey methodologies, comparisons cannot be made between the earlier Food and You surveys, or the Public Attitudes Tracker, and Food and You 2. Therefore Food and You 2, 2020 is the start of a new data time series. Data will be collected through Food and You 2 on a bi-annual basis. Unlike the previous surveys, as well as the standard End User Licence (EUL) study for Food and You 2 the UKDS also holds additional variables under Special Licence (see SN 8815).

Further information may be found on the FSA's Food and You Survey webpage.

The objectives of the Food and You Survey, 2014 were to collect quantitative information to enable the FSA to: explore public understanding of, and engagement with, the Agency's aim of improving food safety; identify specific target groups for future interventions (e.g. those most at risk or those among whom FSA policies and initiatives are likely to have the greatest impact); monitor changes over time (compared with data from Waves 1 and 2 or from other sources) in reported attitudes and behaviour; broaden the evidence base and develop indicators to assess progress in fulfilling the Agency’s strategic plans, aims and targets.

In 2024, when asked in a survey, about 42 percent of consumers aged between 25 and 34 in the United Kingdom stated that they had purchased ultra-processed foods several times a week during the last year. This was the highest purchase frequency among all age groups. In contrast, the share of consumers between the ages 55 and 65 who purchased such foods several times a week was 17 percent.

"The UK Food & Grocery Market 2018-2023", report offers comprehensive insight and analysis of the food & grocery market (including forecasts up to 2023), the major players, the main trends, and consumer attitudes. It provides in-depth analysis of the following: the hot issues impacting the market, strategies for success, market sizes and forecasts, retailer profiles, retailer market shares, consumer data and future outlook. The report focuses on food, tobacco & e-cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, household products and hot drinks. Consumer data is based on our 2018 UK How Britain Shops survey, using a panel of 10,000 nationally representative consumers. Read More

In 2017, the share of Brits that had ever eaten traditional British food was 90 percent. British cuisine was unsurprisingly the most popular choice. Pasta and Pizza, or what we could call Italian food, had been eaten by 76 percent of Brits. Chinese, BBQ and Indian still managed to reach two thirds of consumers. Less than half of respondents had ever tried the likes of Burritos/Tacos, Gourmet burgers and Thai food.

How often do they eat it?

Traditional British food is the most popular choice, but how often do Brits dig into their Shepherd’s Pie or enjoy some Fish and Chips? Traditional dishes like these and others are eaten by more than half of Brits at least once a week or more frequently. Three quarters of Brits have traditional British food at least once a month. While French cuisine is known to more consumers than the Japanese kitchen, the latter has a more devout following with eight percent of Brits enjoy it weekly or more often, while only six percent regularly enjoy the food from across the channel.

Eating out and the quick fix at home

When eating out, UK consumers still prefer the traditional. For them nothing beats pub food and the British cuisine. They also like to go for meat, when they eat out. Steaks and carvery reach about a quarter of brits each. However, if we look at which ready meals are consumed in the average UK home, pizza and pasta are King. All Italian food combined reached roughly 11.3 million consumers. Traditional British meals were a close second.

In 2019/2020, asked in a survey how frequently they eat convenience food or prepared food, roughly 14 percent of respondents 65 years of age and older stated that they do so once a month. The share of those who said they did so a few times a week was highest among respondents from the youngest age bracket depicted here and came to 22 percent.