New research has suggested that consumers who have specific dietary requirements or allergies typically spend £2,000 a year more on groceries than consumers that don’t.
Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal diets cost consumers, on average, an estimated £162 per month extra – and the cost is just one downside to their specific diets, alongside being limited to what food and drink they can buy.
The figures are the result of a survey of almost 2,200 British consumers, conducted by VoucherCodesPro.
The most common dietary requirement was vegetarian, with exactly one-fifth of those polled claiming to avoid consuming meat. This was closely followed by gluten-free (19%), halal (18%), dairy-free (16%) and vegan (15%).
As part of the research, respondents were asked what perceived downsides there were for their dietary situation. In total, 42% agreed that there were downsides. The most commonly cited problems were having to pay more than usual (56%), having limited food and drink options (44%), having limited options when eating out or getting a takeaway in (41%), a lack of understanding among friends and family (33%), and having to take vitamins to ensure that they’re getting all the necessary nutrients (25%).
VoucherCodesPro’s George Charles said: “Although it seems unfair that those with dietary requirements are made to pay more than the rest of us for their food and drink, different machines or ingredients will likely be required in order to make these products and these could well cost more than the standard fare – so someone has to take the hit somewhere down the line.
“As more and more of us take up selective diets, from low-carb to gluten-free, we may see the prices drop as it becomes cheaper to bulk produce these items, but if the food costs the manufacturer more it will also cost the consumer more, too.”
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