The Inflation Diet: Increase in Americans eating expired food, while nearly half turn to cheaper foods to beat cost of living crunch

Attest, a consumer research platform for the world’s biggest and fastest-growing brands, surveyed 2,000 nationally representative US consumers on how their grocery shopping has changed in the wake of the highest 12-month increase in food prices since 1980.

The Inflation Diet:  Increase in Americans eating expired food, while nearly half turn to cheaper foods to beat cost of living crunch
Photo by Brooke Lark / Unsplash
  • In a potential effort to stretch their dollar, 46% of Americans are eating foods past their expiration and ‘use-by’ dates
  • Consumers divided on ‘shrinkflation’ versus cost increases, while Americans throw away an average of three grocery items every week
  • New poll also finds alcohol (49%) is one of the hardest hit categories for penny pinching during this cost of living crisis

With food prices recently jumping year-over-year by 10.9% in the United States, Americans are not only experiencing a monumental drain on their purse strings, but also a fundamental shift in their everyday diets. 

Attest, a consumer research platform for the world’s biggest and fastest-growing brands, surveyed 2,000 nationally representative US consumers on how their grocery shopping has changed in the wake of the highest 12-month increase in food prices since 1980. The latest edition of the Attest’s US Food & Beverage Report 2022 uncovers: 

  • Anxiety is dictating the grocery list: 47% of Americans report sticking to a strict budget when they go to the supermarket, likely caused by an average weekly grocery spend that has increased by around $14 due to inflation. While Americans were spending an average of $97.09 per week on groceries six months ago, they’re now spending $111.19 according to Attest’s findings.
  • People are skimping on food: 40% of respondents are buying less food due to rising costs, rising to 52% for those aged 55-64. This could make a bad situation worse ––  with more than 38 million Americans suffering from food insecurity, according to the Department of Agriculture.
  • Worse overall health could be inflation’s legacy: Consumers are largely switching to cheaper foods (46%) – notorious for lesser health benefits and lower-quality ingredients.  22% of people are also buying less fresh fruit and vegetables. These dietary changes could negatively impact the public’s overall health, and be a blow to the ongoing fight against obesity. 

More Americans are now eating expired food

One trend revealed by this research is an increasing willingness from consumers to make their own judgment calls when it comes to expiration and ‘use-by’ dates - labels often criticized for being arbitrary and contributing to food waste. 

  • Just under half admit to eating past the expiration date: The poll finds 46% admitting to eating foods after their expiration date. Interestingly, of these people, 17% of people say they only recently began eating expired foods, adding to the 29% of consumers who’ve done this for a while. Meanwhile, 38% of people say they will even go as far as removing “bad bits” from food so it can still be eaten.
  • Dry foods are most trusted: The food most likely to be eaten past expiration is potato chips/snacks (56%) followed by cereal (50%) and cookies/candy (48%). More than a third (39%) say they would eat bread after it had expired but only 23% would consume milk past its expiration date. Least likely to be eaten after expiry are yogurt (14%) and uncooked meat (17%). 

Consumers are drinking less and forgoing packaged, convenience foods

When polled on what categories they are cutting back on to stave off extra costs, most Americans are unsurprisingly skipping the gourmet food aisle and nixing luxury/premium food items (61%). However, Americans are also purchasing less: 

  • Alcohol (49%): A close second to luxury/premium items is alcohol, pointing to a country prioritizing putting food on the table rather than alcohol.
  • Convenience foods (37%): Grab-and-go, packaged items are also top of people’s cost cutting drive, meaning Americans are likely eating less preservatives from processed foods. 

Americans are still throwing away food

Despite a rise in cost, the public is still leaning into one of their worst habits – food waste. The Attest data shows that Americans throw away an average of three unconsumed/partially consumed groceries every week.

Younger consumers are the worst culprits for food waste, while those in the 55-64 age range are especially good at minimizing waste. Nearly 41% of people in this older age group say they throw away only one piece of edible waste per week (or none at all), in comparison to 20% of those aged 18-24.

Major takeaways for brands & retailers 

  • Discount retailers are winning: A third of consumers (33%) have changed where they shop in the last six months, with the number of Americans shopping at discounters like Aldi, Food 4 Less/Food Co, Grocery Outlet, Price Rite, Save A Lot, and WinCo increasing from 12% six months ago to 18% today.
  • Online food shopping sees a steep decline: Another trend impacting retailers is the post-pandemic return to brick and mortar stores and decline in online food shopping. In January 2021, 26% of Americans shopped for groceries mostly or only online; today, that figure has dropped to 10%. Meanwhile, the number of people who shop only in-store has almost doubled, rising from 26% to 51%. 
  • Public divided over ‘shrinkflation’: A slim majority of US consumers would rather brands reduce product size instead of increasing prices, but it is a divisive issue. ‘Shrinkflation’ is favored by 55.5%, versus 44.5% who would accept a price rise that maintains a product’s current size. 

Jeremy King, CEO and Founder of Attest, said of the research: “The Attest research shows that consumers are understandably trying to save where they can in reaction to inflation, especially pulling back on premium food products and alcohol. However, fundamental food behaviors are also shifting due to such rapid price rises, including a relaxing of attitudes towards eating expired food products.”

“This paints a picture of a consumer that isn’t afraid to make drastic lifestyle changes to put food on the table. For brands and retailers alike, maintaining customer loyalty in this environment will be tricky, especially as cost cutting approaches like ‘shrinkflation’ appear to be particularly divisive amongst American shoppers.”

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