UK Consumers Cutting Back on Food and Drink Expenditure

TORA Reports Finds Savers Outstrip Spenders as Austerity Rules

OXFORD, England, July 5, 2010 - Nearly half (45%) of all UK consumers have been actively trying to save
money as they've purchased food and drink over the last six months. Only
consumers in the US have been more cost conscious, according to the findings
of a new report from The Oxford Research Agency, (TORA) entitled A Question
of Taste.

39% of UK consumers haven't changed their spending habits, leaving just
16% spending more on food and drink. In other parts of the world spenders
have outnumbered savers in China, Brazil and Germany, highlighting the uneven
nature of global consumer confidence.

TORA Global Food and Drink Spending Behaviour - USA consumers saving the
most

    Country  Score
    China       37
    Brazil      16
    Germany      4
    France     -10
    UK         -29
    USA        -33

The figures in the Global Food and Drink Spending Behaviour table were
reached by subtracting the percentage of people who have been actively saving
money they spend on food and drink purchases, from the percentage spending
more. Positive figures show spenders in the majority. Negative figures show
savers in the majority

TORA interviewed 1534 people from the UK, USA, France, Germany, China and
Brazil before compiling its A Question of Taste Report.

Further evidence of UK consumers' cost consciousness is suggested by the
fact that 64% of those in work prepare lunch at home and take it into work.
11% of those interviewed go out to eat, 14% go out to buy food and take it
back to the office, whilst 11% of us claim not to eat lunch at all. At the
other end of the spectrum only 33% of Chinese workers prepare lunch at home
and take it to work. 38% of them go out to eat.

Just over one in three of those interviewed in the UK eat their evening
meal sitting with family in front of the TV. Similarly 35% of people polled
in the US do the same. Things are different in other parts of the world. 75%
of Chinese respondents sit as a family and eat most meals together. 71% of
French respondents said the same. The figure drops to 46% in the UK.

Despite spending less on food and drink, 24% of people interviewed in the
UK weigh more than they did a year ago. 56% reckon they weigh about the same,
and 18% say they weigh less. That puts the UK third in the Weight Perception
Index.

TORA Global Weight Perception Index - Brazilians think they've put on the
most

    Country  Score
    Brazil      15
    China       13
    UK          12
    France       2
    Germany     -2
    USA         -2

A positive score means more people think they've put on weight than lost
weight. A negative score means the number of people thinking they've lost
weight is greater than the number weighing more

87% of us in the UK do our grocery shopping at a supermarket. 7% shop
online, which is the highest figure globally and significantly above all
other countries surveyed. 58% of us in the UK always use a shopping list, 30%
of us use a list occasionally, whilst 13% of us never use a shopping list.

78% of people in the UK are open to trying and experimenting with new
food and drink products. Indeed UK consumers are more adventurous than most.

Chris Sinclair, CEO at The Oxford Research Agency, said "the pressures of
the last couple of years are having a significant impact on what we're
spending on food and drink in the UK. UK consumers remain very focused on
value for money and will hunt out special offers. They're open to new ideas
too though, so the climate for developing and launching new products is still
positive, even if consumers are becoming ever more empowered."

About TORA

TORA is a specialist FMCG and customer experience market research
company. The Agency uses innovative quantitative and qualitative
methodologies to help companies to launch successful new products into the
marketplace.

    Press contact is David Josephs,
    David Josephs Communications
    david@djcomms.org.uk or +44(0)7890-555391

Press contact is David Josephs, David Josephs Communications, david at djcomms.org.uk or +44(0)7890-555391