Consumers in the UK are increasingly health-conscious with their festive eating and drinking habits, while also being more mindful of their spending. New research reveals that while traditional indulgence is still part of the picture, there is a clear shift towards healthier choices and smarter food and drink purchasing.
This Christmas, 52% of UK consumers are focused on reducing the amount they eat and drink overall, highlighting a growing trend towards healthier holiday habits. Just 29% of people plan to indulge themselves as much as usual, with many opting for more balanced options, according to the study by product intelligence business Vypr.
Key strategies for health-conscious eating include a focus on having more vegetables in meals (13%), cutting down on processed foods (11%), and reducing the amount of fat used in cooking (8%).
However, despite this focus on nutrition, the majority of people (36%) will rely on a mix of both home-cooked and shop-bought products for the festive week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. 6% of people plan to only eat shop-bought products, while 26% intend only to eat home-cooked foods.
The popularity of readymade buffet and party food remains strong. Tesco is the top choice, with 21% of people choosing the supermarket over M&S (20%) for their festive party food this year.
This aligns with party food being the most popular category in the frozen aisle, with a third of people (32%) planning to purchase, followed by frozen vegetables (18%) and frozen meat (12%). Tesco offers the widest range of frozen party food, three times more than M&S.
Baking mince pies and Christmas cakes has fallen out of favour this year, and consumers are relying on shop-bought Yorkshire puddings rather than making them from scratch. 34% won’t offer Christmas cake this year and of those that do, 29% will be buying it from a supermarket. Of those serving mince pies, 40% will be ready-made.
Ben Davies, founder of Vypr, said: “While Christmas advertising continues to focus on the indulgence of the festive season, the trend for health and wellness shows no sign of slowing down. With growing consumer awareness of nutritional content and the amount of processed food we consume, plus wider availability of healthier alternatives such as low and no alcohol, this could be the first year we see a distinct move towards more balanced consumption, paving the way for Christmases to come.”
Commenting on frozen food shopping habits, Rupert Ashby, CEO of the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), said: “At Christmas, spending on food increases across the board. Kantar data shows UK households buy roughly 10% more grocery items during the festive season compared with a typical month.
“Convenience is always a big part of the appeal of frozen food, and this is particularly relevant at Christmas when many people often have more people to feed than usual.
“The selection of frozen options available has been honed over the years to cater for these needs, focusing on easy-to-prepare party food, ready-prepared vegetables and affordable options for smaller gatherings, such as turkey crown for four.
“The other great benefit of frozen food is its tendency to reduce food waste, something that is a major problem all year round, but which goes through the roof at Christmas. With frozen, you can use only what you need for the meal and store the rest without it going off.”
