Staple foods such as bread, rice and pasta are disappearing from British dinner tables and being replaced by “new foods” such as quinoa and flatbreads, research has revealed.
One-third of Brits say their dietary essentials have changed in recent times, with sweet potatoes, cous cous and pitta bread now increasingly popular. Seven in ten people have expanded the variety of food they eat and a third of British homes have introduced ingredients like olives, avocado and chorizo, according to the research conducted on behalf of spread brand Lurpak.
The study into the food preferences of 2,000 people found that travel and new experiences are driving change in consumer’s shopping habits.
And there is evidence that the rising popularity of some foods is at the expensive of others, which would have been commonplace in previous decades. Wholemeal bread is now more popular than white bread, with 47% claiming they buy less white bread now than they used to, and wraps and pitta breads both also enjoying a surge in consumption.
Six in ten consumers haven’t served up a prawn cocktail in over a year, and one in five hasn’t had fish and chips or sausage and mash in the last 12 months. Nearly a fifth buy fewer potatoes than they used to while a quarter buy less white pasta, the results showed.
Arla Foods’ Jordan O’Farrell said: “Our demand for new tastes is ever increasing with more than half of those polled trying a new type of food at least once a month.
“And when it comes to our breads of choice, we’re seeing a departure from the norm with as many as seven in ten feeling they’ve eaten a greater variety of breads in recent years, including wraps, pittas and flatbreads.
“We all know that bread and butter are the perfect match, but what’s really interesting is the rise of new breads and with it the opportunity to bring genuinely new and exciting bread accompaniments to our plates.”
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