Cost-of-living crisis sees young parents cut down on meat

More than one-quarter of parents with young children (27%) are cutting down on their meat consumption to save money as the cost-of-living crisis bites, according to new research.

The survey, from Red Tractor and YouGov, found 39% of families with children aged 11 or under are replacing meat with carbohydrates such as bread and pasta.

A further 33% are buying what they consider to be lower-quality food, while 42% believe the quality of food they can afford will decline further over the next 12 months.

Of those surveyed, 18% are buying fewer fruit and vegetables.

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Jim Moseley, chief executive of Red Tractor, said: “This research lays bare the choices parents feel they have to make thanks to the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on food prices.

“We are making it clear to consumers that families should never have to make a choice between quality, safety and value when it comes to their child’s nutrition.”  

In the past year, there has been a shift toward grocery shopping at non-food cut-price retailers, with 18% of parents buying groceries from retailers such as Poundland and B&M Bargains.

In families with young children, 33% are buying what they consider to be lower-quality food as they look for cheaper options, compared with just 20% of households without children.

This is despite concerns that less-expensive products may have been produced to a lower quality (55%), have a greater negative effect on the environment (36%), and are less safe (19%)

The total sample size for the research was 2061 adults, 353 of whom were parents of children aged 11 and under. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6-9 January 2023.