National statistics

Family Food 2016/17: Purchases

Published 26 April 2018

2. Purchases

2.1 Overview

Comparisons over a long period of time provide a more reliable indication of change than a year on year comparison. Detailed long term time series are available for download. Family Food datasets cover household and eating out purchases for a detailed set of food and drink types, and breakdowns by a number of characteristics including region, income, household composition and occupation, amongst others.

Purchases of various household foods are on a clear short term downward trends, including milk and milk products, meat products, potatoes and bread.

Context: Purchases estimates

It is a widely recognised characteristic of self reported diary surveys such as Family Food that survey respondents tend to under report their purchases (and any derived nutrient intakes based on purchased quantities are also likely to be underestimates). Empirical comparisons of sales and duty data for alcohol in particular suggest that reported alcohol consumption could be 40-60 per cent lower than the reality. For other food and drink, reporting is likely to be closer to actual purchases, but underreporting is likely to feature and some food types may be underreported to a greater extent than others.

Although such surveys are completely confidential, respondents may under report for a range of reasons, from self consciousness to simply forgetting to record purchases. ‘Top up’ and eating out purchases are probably more likely to be missed than the main household shop. There is no evidence to say whether levels of underreporting have changed over time but it is plausible that changes in household shopping and eating patterns may have contributed to increased underreporting.

Users should bear this issue in mind, when considering trends in estimated intakes and the values for individual years. For example the downward trend in energy intake estimates can appear counter-intuitive at face value given other evidence on the prevalence of obesity. Factors affecting obesity and other health issues are complex. Family Food trends are broadly consistent with other sources, such as the National Diet and Nutrition Survey which also show reported energy intake in decline, although NDNS intakes are also known to be underreported.

We have not produced a commentary on derived nutritional intake estimates in this report, although the data is published in our datasets

There are much more data and analysis available about health and diet from Public Health England.

2.2 Household purchases

Table 2.1 shows the main food groups examined in this chapter and contains an indication of those items where a statistically significant 4 year linear trend is evident. A detailed explanation of how these trends are calculated is available in the Methodology Papers.

Table 2.1: Quantities of household purchases of food and drink in the UK

Grams per person per week, except for liquids in millilitres, and eggs (number)^(a)

Description	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016/17	RSE(b)	% change since 2013	% change since 2015	sig(c)
Milk and milk products excluding cheese	1897	1904	1901	1847	1849	1827	1821	+++	-1	1
Cheese	118	118	114	118	111	112	120	+++	2	4
Carcase meat	211	204	196	182	195	187	175	++	-4	-9
Non-carcase meat and meat products	805	794	793	766	760	742	775	+++	1	4
Fish	151	147	144	146	144	146	136	++	-6	-6
Eggs	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	++	5	1
Fats	183	170	178	171	158	162	139	++	-18	-14	yes
Sugar and preserves	126	126	124	123	109	106	104	++	-15	-3	yes
Fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, including potatoes	2982	2986	2917	2898	2846	2871	2873	+++	-1	0
Fresh and processed vegetables, including potatoes	1849	1836	1810	1783	1751	1778	1756	+++	-2	-2
Fresh and processed potatoes	742	746	724	682	671	675	641	+++	-6	-5	yes
Fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, excluding potatoes	2240	2240	2193	2216	2176	2195	2231	+++	1	1
Fresh and processed vegetables, excluding potatoes	1107	1090	1086	1102	1080	1103	1115	+++	1	0
Fresh and processed fruit	1133	1150	1107	1114	1096	1093	1116	+++	0	2
Bread	634	621	615	607	555	543	532	+++	-12	-2	yes
Flour	58	71	73	57	52	61	53		-8	-17
Cakes, buns and pastries	153	151	149	150	147	155	150	+++	0	-2
Biscuits and crispbreads	162	164	160	165	162	164	169	+++	3	2
Other cereals and cereal products	556	547	542	549	560	566	560	+++	2	-1
Beverages	56	53	53	52	52	53	55	++	5	4
Other food and drink	706	726	776	778	787	815	873	++	12	5	yes
Soft drinks	1718	1630	1633	1664	1546	1531	1628	++	-2	7
Confectionery	131	134	126	128	130	132	130	++	1	-3
Alcoholic drinks	762	728	700	694	675	678	700	++	1	4

^(a) Milk and milk products excluding cheese, beverages, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks are measured in millilitres, eggs are counted individually.

^(b) Relative Standard Error: +++: < 2.5%, +++: 2.5% - 5%, +: 5% - 10%, no +: 10% - 20%, -: >20%

^(c) “yes” if the change is greater than twice its standard error. There is approximately a one in twenty chance of reporting a “yes” when the change is due only to sampling error.

Dairy products

Milk purchases have generally declined in the last 10 years. In the most recent couple of years of estimates whole milk has increased slightly, but the long term dominance of skimmed milk remains. Purchases of semi-skimmed milk (which overtook whole milk in the early 1990s) accounted for 68% of milk purchases and whole milk 22% in 2016/17.

Household purchases of cheese have fluctuated over the last ten years, and no clear trend has shown. Cheddar type cheeses accounted for around half of all cheese purchases by weight in 2016/17, at 64 grams per person per week.

Meat

Purchases of chicken have increased over the last 10 years and were the most popular unprocessed meat product purchased by weight at 193g per person per week in 2016/17. This was followed by beef which has remained fairly stable in recent years at around 100g per person per week. Lamb has shown a clear downward trend over the last 10 years, whilst pork has been relatively stable.

Purchases of bacon and ham, meat pies, sausages and burgers are generally stable or show slight downward trends over the last 10 years. Ready meals and convenience meat products continue their clear upward trend, with a highest ever estimate of 170g per person per week in 2016/17.

Fish

Household purchases of fish and fish products have fallen steadily since 2006 with a 6 per cent fall over the last four years. Ready meals account for over one third of fish purchases. Purchases of salmon have shown a recent upward trend.

Fruit and vegetables

Household purchases of fresh and processed vegetables (excluding potatoes) have shown no clear trend in the last 5 years, following a sharp fall. Fresh green vegetables have shown a slight downward trend, offset by a 5 per cent increase in purchases of other fresh vegetables since 2013. Purchases of processed vegetables, which account for about 30 per cent of the total, have been largely stable despite fluctuating in the most recent few years.

Potato purchases continued their long term downward trend, with an 8.8 per cent reduction since 2013. Purchases of processed potatoes were chips and crisps and these have been relatively stable over the last ten years.

Household purchases of fruit (including fruit juice) show a similar profile to vegetables. Purchases are approximately 15 per cent down from their peak in 2006. Fresh fruit accounts for around 70% of total fruit and fruit juice purchases. Despite fluctuating over the last 10 years, bananas remain the most popular purchase by weight, accounting for around one quarter of fresh fruit purchases, at 216g per person per week.Fruit juice purchases have continued their decline since 2006. Purchases fell by 19 per cent compared to 2013.

Fats (including oils)

Household purchases of fats fluctuated very slightly between 2005 and 2010 and have fallen steadily since 2010. Despite a rise of 2.7 per cent between 2014 and 2015, purchases then fell 14 per cent between 2015 and 2016/17, a change equivalent to 23 grams per person per week. Reduced and low fat spread purchases continued their decline over the decade and were 22 per cent lower than in 2013 and 14 per cent lower compared to 2015. Long term trends in estimates for margarine and spreads were affected by the reclassification of a popular product in 1994.

Having increased gradually over the last ten years, butter purchases have decreased since 2015 by 18 per cent to 35 grams per person per week, while margarines have increased by 45 per cent in the same period to 25 grams. Oils accounted for nearly a third of all fat purchases, with average weekly purchases of 43 mls.

Bread

Purchases of bread are on a long term downward trend, with white bread in particular falling by 35 per cent over the last 10 years to 201 grams per person per week. Purchases of brown and wholemeal bread have also fallen over the same period but at a much lower rate. Purchases of other breads, which include continental and speciality breads, have fluctuated over the last 10 years and show no clear trend.

2.3 Home-grown food

In 2016/17, 2.8 per cent of fresh fruit and vegetables entering the household came from free sources, mainly gardens and allotments. This is down from 3.8 per cent in 2015. This percentage is subject to year on year fluctuations depending on growing conditions in the UK. In 2016/17, the percentage of eggs entering the household which were free or home produced was 4.3 per cent.

Table 2.2: Percentage of household food home-grown in gardens or allotments

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016/17
Beans	29.0	29.0	33.0	28.0	29.0	28.0	29.0	16.0
Potatoes	3.0	2.0	7.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	4.0	4.0
Onions, leeks and shallots	3.0	3.0	4.0	3.0	4.0	2.0	5.0	5.0
Tomatoes	6.0	7.0	6.0	5.0	6.0	5.0	6.0	5.0
All other vegetables	3.0	3.0	4.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	2.0
Apples	5.0	10.0	9.0	3.0	8.0	6.0	12.0	6.0
Soft fruit	8.0	8.0	10.0	9.0	12.0	8.0	7.0	6.0
All other fruit	1.0	1.0	2.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Overall percentage	3.3	3.6	5.0	2.7	3.5	2.8	3.8	2.8
Eggs	5.1	5.6	5.7	5.0	7.0	5.0	3.8	4.3

2.4 Takeaway food and drink

Takeaway purchases for consumption within the home are classed as household purchases (see Methodology papers). Table 2.3 summarises the takeaway part of the major food groups. Between 2013 and 2016/17, purchases of takeaway food brought home have increased by 10 per cent. Expenditure on takeaway foods was £2.17 per person per week in 2016/17, 23 per cent higher than in 2013.

Table 2.3 UK household quantities and expenditure on takeaway food brought home ^(a)

Purchases	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016/17	RSE (b)	% change since 2015	% change since 2013
Total Meat	55	56	54	56	54	60	++	11.2	11.0
Total Fish	11	11	10	10	11	9	++	-21.3	-10.6
Total Vegetables	46	43	41	42	45	43	++	-4.7	4.3
Total Bread	4	5	5	5	5	4	+	-1.7	-3.3
Total Other Cereals	40	44	41	41	45	48	++	8.3	19.1
Total Miscellaneous	2	2	2	2	2	3	+	9.1	11.7
Total	158	160	153	157	162	167		3.3	9.5

Expenditure	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016/17	RSE (b)	% change since 2015	% change since 2013
Total Meat	70	72	73	77	74	90	+++	21.5	22.4
Total Fish	19	18	18	18	21	18	++	-15.7	0.7
Total Vegetables	27	27	27	28	30	34	++	12.3	23.6
Total Bread	6	8	8	9	8	9	++	13.2	15.9
Total Other cereals	45	51	47	47	53	61	++	15.5	32.0
Total Miscellaneous	3	3	4	3	4	5	+	29.3	29.0
Total	171	179	177	183	190	217		14.0	22.8

^(a) Purchases in grams per person per week, Expenditure in pence per person per week

^(b) Relative Standard Error: +++: < 2.5%, +++: 2.5% - 5%, +: 5% - 10%, no +: 10% - 20%, -: >20%

Go to Family Food 2016/17: Summary

Go to Family Food 2016/17: Expenditure

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