Consumers in Scotland shop more often every week than their UK counterparts and are more likely to check whether food has been sourced in a sustainable way and meets high standards of animal welfare, according to a new report.
The ‘How Britain Shops’ research, carried out by Waitrose as part of its annual Food & Drink Report, reveals trends in shopping habits across the UK.
The survey found that:
• In line with the trend to shop ‘little and often’, nearly 6 in 10 Scots (58 percent) shop 2-3 times a week, more than anywhere else in the UK
• Three quarters of Scots (76 percent) say they consider how or where their food is sourced
• Half of Scots (51 percent) have developed a more waste conscious mind-set and claim they throw less food away than five years ago
• 62 percent of Scots take no lunchbreak or take less than the national UK average of 36 minutes
The survey also shows that the Scots appear to be taking healthy eating messages seriously. Nearly three quarters of Scots (75 percent) say they ‘eat healthily and try to look after themselves’ and nearly half (49 percent) say that healthy eating is “just a part of my everyday life”. What’s more, 46 percent of Scots believe they eat “fresher, lighter food than five years ago.”
The research forms part of the Waitrose Food & Drink Report – the fourth annual report from the supermarket that reveals what people across the UK have been has been eating and drinking, and how they have been shopping. The report is published on 2nd November and is attached under embargo.
Tor Harris, Waitrose Head of Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing says, “Wasting less of what you buy and considering where your food comes from, is more and more important to UK consumers – it’s great to see Scotland setting such a positive example.
The Scottish Government and industry bodies such as Scotland Food and Drink deserve credit for promoting Scotland’s food and drink producers and healthy eating. Issues such as local sourcing and provenance are now clearly high up Scottish consumers’ agendas.”
As well as the ‘How Britain Shops’’ survey, the report has also revealed a number of other key national trends – from the way social media has changed our relationship with food to the growing importance of ‘conscious consumption’ – all of which can be found in the full report.
