71% of UK shoppers are aiming to reduce their environmental impact this Christmas, according to new research by IGD.
The latest research from IGD has highlighted that sustainability, ethics and saving money are prominent themes for food and grocery shopping this Christmas.
After surveying 1,000 UK grocery shoppers, IGD revealed that 71% said they are going to take a specific action to reduce their environmental impact over the season.
Over half (55%) of those surveyed intend to buy more loose fruit and vegetables, while a third (34%) plan to avoid buying products that have a lot of excess packaging. Additionally, 32% aim to buy products that are more locally produced and 31% plan to buy products with easily recyclable packaging.
With regards to ethics, half (51%) of the shoppers surveyed plan to buy higher welfare, or more premium meats at Christmas.
“More shoppers intend to visit specialist stores, such as butchers or greengrocers, famer’s markets or premium supermarkets this year than last,” said Simon Wainwright, director of global insights at IGD.
Wainwright added: “This is despite the intent to spend less on Christmas dinner, perhaps implying a reduction in quantity purchased in favour of quality. Large stores in particular could face a challenge here – calling out quality, sustainability and welfare messaging year-round could encourage shoppers to visit these stores more frequently at Christmas.”
According to IGD, households will be reducing the amount of meat consumed, with plant-based alternatives entering the top five choices for main meal options on Christmas day for the first time, at 13%. This result comes in above ham (12%), pork (8%), seafood (8%), lamb (8%) and salmon (6%).
IGD concludes that consumers’ expected expenses on main Christmas dinner will be down by £9 or £2 per person as of last year.
Wainwright said: “While environmental concerns are clearly important at this time of year, we can see that there is an opportunity for retailers and manufacturers to engage with shoppers more in this area during the season to make it as much of a priority as at other times of the year.
“The focus here should be on taking action to reduce the environmental impact of products so shoppers can buy the gifts they want without compromising on their sustainable ambitions.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024