People in the UK are increasingly cooking with their microwaves to save money as food prices rise quickly, research suggests. Kantar found there were 4% fewer meals made using an oven in the 12 weeks to 11 June, compared with the same period last year, while microwaved meals rose 8%.
Grocery price inflation (通货膨胀) has slowed to its lowest level since the start of 2023, it said, but remains very high. “People are thinking more and more about what they eat and how they cook as the cost of living crisis takes its toll on traditional behaviors,” said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar. “The most significant change we’ve seen is that people are preparing simpler dishes with fewer ingredients. We also saw a reduction in hob (炉盘) use and a rise in food prepared with toasters and grills (烤架).”
According to Kantar’s research, grocery prices increased by 16.5% in the four weeks to 11 June, compared with the same period a year ago. Mr McKevitt said, “Price rises are now being compared to the increasing rate of grocery inflation seen last summer, which means that it should continue to fall in the coming months, a welcome result for everyone.”
However, consumers will continue to be hurt as summer wears on. The price of seasonal favourites like ice cream and mineral water have gone up by around a fifth since last year, while burgers and sausages are up 16% and 13% respectively. According to official figures, UK food prices are rising at their fastest rate in nearly 45 years, with staples (基本食物) such as sugar and pasta up sharply.
Supermarkets have been accused of not passing on falling wholesale (批发的) costs to consumers, prompting the Competition and Markets Authority to launch an investigation.
However, grocers deny profiteering (牟取暴利) and have begun cutting the price of basics.
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