Better availability reported
24 April 2024See our latest consumer research results, which highlight an improvement in reported availability issues for some food and drink.
In recent years, the UK food system has faced major supply chain disruption. This has included the impact of Covid-19, climate change and conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. This has impacted price and availability.
We recently reported that problems in the Middle East have not, so far, created broad price or availability issues for food and grocery businesses operating in the UK.
Our latest consumer research reveals that just 45% of respondents reported poorer availability of some food and groceries in-store or online recently. This is the lowest level recorded since first measured in 2021.
This compares with a high of 77% reporting poorer availability a year ago. This was linked to extreme weather conditions in Spain and North Africa affecting harvests, resulting in some supermarkets introducing limits on some fruits and vegetables.
Fewer consumers are reporting poorer availability across a range of categories. This is most pronounced for fresh produce, dairy, medicines, and hot drinks.
18% complained about the poorer availability of fresh produce recently. This is less than half the level reported this time last year (40%). 12% complain about the availability of dairy compared to 40% in 2023.
Availability concerns by region
Consumers in the North-East (56%), Northern Ireland (54%) and Scotland (53%) report the poorest availability at an overall level.
IGD Viewpoint
The lower level of reported availability issues is welcome news for both industry and consumers. The food system has met many of the supply chain disruptions head-on, continuing to provide UK consumers with high-quality, safe and affordable food.
However, as we look to the years ahead, the world finds itself in a more unstable place with risks such as climate change, cybersecurity and geopolitics coming to the fore.
Download our recent Viewpoint report: a system under pressure, in which we highlight the 10 key risks that are likely to put the UK food system under greater pressure in the years to come.
Mitigating these risks will require a vast range of actions resulting in many significant changes, between sectors and within specific businesses.