Fewer ingredients, simpler meals, more microwaves: Sky-high food prices are changing how people eat and cook

Sky-high food prices are forcing people to change how they eat and cook. Stretched household budgets mean shoppers are buying fewer ingredients, cooking simpler meals and using their microwaves more, according to data firm Kantar.

It comes as supermarket inflation fell to 16.5 per cent in the four weeks to June 11 - the lowest rate this year. That's down from a record 17.5% in March, but it's still the sixth highest level since the 2008 financial crisis.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, said: "This is the lowest rate of grocery price inflation we've seen in 2023, which will be a relief to shoppers and retailers. But prices rising at 16.5% isn't something to celebrate and it's still the sixth highest monthly figure in the past 15 years.

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"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."

The Manchester Evening News has been tracking the cost of the same eight supermarket essentials since March 2022. And our weekly comparison of the budget staples shows Lidl has been the cheapest supermarket since January.

A shopping basket made up of made up of coffee, tea bags, milk, bread, butter, beans, chicken and mince last week cost £11.79. But the high inflation rates mean a weekly shop that cost £50 a year ago would now set shoppers back £58.25.

Kantar found that almost 70% of households are either 'extremely' or 'very worried' about food and drink inflation, compared to just over two thirds when asked the same question in January.

It narrowly remains the second most significant concern