Most of the UK experienced an unusual feeling this week: warm sunshine. Less welcome, sadly, was the news that food prices were still stubbornly, and for too many people, debilitatingly high. With food inflation at 19.1%, close to a record high, it is only right that Mintel focuses attention on those consumers who are struggling to pay for a loaf of bread or cheese, the price of the latter has soared by 39% in the year to April 2023 – according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). And so, this week saw the publication of a highly topical and unique Mintel report: A day in the life of a money-saving mum in 2023.
Written in the first person, a UK mum tells us the story of her day, and how she is struggling — yet managing — the high cost of living. By packaging hard data in a human and empathic storytelling format, this piece endeavours to engage readers/clients more profoundly. The consumer data findings illustrate how the attitudes and behaviours of financially-struggling consumers compare with those who are better off. To tackle food insecurity, the industry must understand these behaviours and concerns.
But writing about a topic like food insecurity, especially right now, risks coming across as disingenuous and exploitative. Therefore, this piece was created in collaboration with FoodCycle, the UK food charity and Mintel charity partner, which creates and serves warm meals for those in need using surplus food.
Having volunteered at a FoodCycle lunch and discussed the challenges they were experiencing with them (such as the decreasing quantity and quality of surplus food being donated to the projects) we were able to bestow the essential level of authenticity and credibility to the piece. Qualitative data from Mintel’s cost of living focus groups were also used to paint a realistic picture. The CEO of FoodCycle, Mary McGrath, said: “Thank you so much for writing ‘A day in the life of money – saving mum 2023’. It was incredibly sobering and such a fantastic way to combine the information that the food industry is keen to understand with a real-life case study of one of our volunteers struggling to make ends meet.”
UK charity FoodCycle connects communities, reducing loneliness and food poverty – working with thousands of volunteers and surplus food to help people in need. Source: FoodCycle
