Food Costs: Can You Spend Less?

Food inflation was at 19% in 2023 – the highest rate for 45 years. Although it’s been slowly coming down, that doesn’t necessarily mean reduced prices on the shelves. Why is this happening and what can we all do to spend less at the supermarket tills? 

In this episode of Tonight, Kate Quilton has been investigating all things food – from the farmers facing rising production costs to the increasing presence of loyalty card schemes and member-only prices in our supermarkets.

The average weekly food cost for the typical UK household is £103, an increase of 18% from a year ago. We’ll meet the Thomas family in Oxford who have noticed that their weekly food shop for four has crept up to around £200 a month. 

They’ll be paid a visit from Mitch Lane, known as @mealsbymitch on TikTok, who has made a name for himself on social media by coming up with recipes that can feed a family of four for just five pounds. 

As well as shopping smarter, another way to save money is by making sure that what you do buy doesn’t go to waste. According to sustainability charity Wrap, the average household wastes an estimated £700 every year simply by throwing food away. 

We’ll meet Kate Hall, author of The Full Freezer Method. In a bid to reduce food waste and save money, Kate’s mission is to spread awareness of the surprising food items that can be frozen, and what tricks you can use to do this even in the smallest freezers.

Whether you’re shopping smarter, meal planning or trying to make use of everything you buy, it’s always worth thinking about what small changes you could make to get your food bill down. Which tips will you try? 

Useful links

See Which?’s monthly ranking of the cheapest supermarkets 

Read about Which?’s investigation into supermarket loyalty cards

Check out Citizens Advice for cost of living support

See how the average price of food items is changing