Families with young children have had to make the biggest changes when shopping for food, new research from Red Tractor and YouGov has revealed.
Over a quarter of parents of young children (27%) said they are buying less meat and 18% said they are buying less fruit and veg.
At the same time, 39% of parents have replaced meat with carbohydrates, such as bread and pasta, in an attempt to keep their children full on a tighter budget.
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”, CEO of Red Tractor, Jim Mosely said.
On top of this, a third (33%) of families with young children are buying what they consider to be lower quality food as they look for cheaper options, compared to just 20% of households without children.
This comes despite concerns that less-expensive products may have been produced to a lower quality (55%), have a greater negative impact on the environment (36%), and are less safe (19%).
“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,” said Moseley.
“That’s why assurance marques are so vital, so when parents see the Red Tractor logo they know that whatever the price point it’s safe, traceable, and farmed with care,” he added.
The assurance scheme has warned that this problem is likely to worsen with findings demonstrating that 42% of parents with young children believe the quality of food they can afford will decline further over the next 12 months.
“This report’s findings sadly tally with the stark findings from a survey we carried out last September with the 9,500 charities and community groups we provide with food and drink,” said Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare. “73% of the groups said that the increase in demand for their services is from people needing help for the first time.”
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