Food prices have consistently topped consumer concerns, holding onto the top spot since the FSA started its Consumer Tracker in July 2023.
The FSA Consumer Tracker survey monitors the behaviour and attitudes of consumers aged 16 and over in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in relation to food. The latest tracker captures data between April 2024 to March 2025.
Following on from food prices, ultra processed foods (UPFs) were chief among the concerns, coming in second – a spot it’s held since April 2024.
Whilst the latest tracker shows little change in respondent’s top concerns, worries over ingredients and additives – which have been among the top five concerns over the last year – did knock animal welfare from the top ranks (vs July 2023 to March 2024).
Household affordability and behaviour
Despite concern over food prices, the number of respondents worried about affording food in the next month has seen a gradual decline – falling from 28% in July 2023 to 24% in April 2024 and 21% in March 2025.
Along with this, there has been a drop in trading down. In April 2024, more than half (51%) of respondents said they were choosing cheaper alternatives rather than branded products; this fell to 44% in March 2025. Moreover, the proportion who reported buying reduced or discounted foods close to their use-by-dates declined from 42% to 34%.
When asked about actions taken in the face of high energy bills, respondents had previously revealed making risky moves when it came to food safety, such as reducing cooking time or lowering temperatures. This behaviour has shown some fluctuation over the past year, ranging from a high of 28% in December 2024 and a low of 21% in May 2024.
In March 2025, 13% said they had lowered the cooking temperature for food and 12% said they had reduced the length of time food was cooked for, while 7% said they had turned off a fridge or freezer that contains food.
Respondents who are younger (16-34 at 29%), from an ethnic minority background (29%), are parents (26%), have a disability or long-term health condition (26%) and are living in the most deprived Index of Multiple Deprivation deciles (1-3 - 25%) were the most likely to report being worried about food affordability in March 2025.
Accessibility
The number of consumers worried about food availability has remained steady in the last year, at around one in five.
Nineteen percent said they were worried about this in March 2025 – this is broadly consistent since April 2024 (21%) but shows a small decline from when tracking began in July 2023 (24%).
Confidence in food supply chain
Overall, confidence in the food supply chain has remained static across the year, with around six in ten reporting they feel confident. March 2025 saw a climb from April 2024 of 4%, representing an 8% rise since July 2023.
In March 2025, 44% said that they were confident that those involved in the food supply chain ensure that there are affordable food options for everyone. This is up from 39% in March 2024 and 34% in July 2023. However, this remains lower than the proportion of respondents who were confident the food supply chain ensures food is safe to eat (74%), there is enough food available (63%), and it is of a high quality (60%).
Ultra processed foods
Although there was not a significant difference in the proportion of respondents reporting concern about ingredients and additives in food or about animal welfare between April 2024 and March 2025, there were some fluctuations throughout the year.
Those citing concerns over ingredients and additives in food rose slightly from 70% in April 2024 to 73% in June 2024, remaining consistently one to five percentage points higher than animal welfare each month over the past year.
Respondents in older or middle age groups were found to be most concerned over UPFs. Eighty-two percentage of those aged 55+ said they were worried, vs. 78% of those aged 35-54 and 72% of those aged 16-34.
There also appeared to be more concern among those living in Wales (86%) than those in Northern Ireland (78%) and England (77%).
