COVID-19 – shopper research focusing on availability and stockpiling – 13 -15...
17 August 2021Stable availability concerns
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Despite the operational challenges due to employees being advised to self-isolate, there...
Stable availability concerns
Despite the operational challenges due to employees being advised to self-isolate, there are sufficient food supplies within the system and the impact on availability has been limited to date.
In the latest shopper research conducted for IGD over this last weekend 13-15 August 2021, a similar number of shoppers are experiencing availability issues for some food and grocery categories.
54% of adults claim to have experienced shortages of some food and groceries in-store or online recently, slightly down from 56% last weekend.
Concerns are highest in the South West (67%) and Northern Ireland (64%).
Claimed shortages remain highest for fresh produce (21% vs 27% last week), soft drinks, dairy (14% each), bakery, household paper (12% each), fresh meat or fish, frozen and chilled (10% each)
Lower stockpiling
Fewer adults (28%) have recently felt the need to stock up or purchase more than they normally do, down from 32% last weekend. This is still relatively low (50% in January’21 and a high of 64% in April’20).
Just under a third (31%) also say they will or might stock up. This has remained stable compared to last weekend (34%).This is still lower than in Jan’21 (45%) and 60% March’20.
Stockpiling is highest among 18-24s (54%), those with children at home (34%), ABs (33%) and those living in London (42%).
Category differences
The table above shows that the top categories that are being stocked up (tins and packaged foods (9%), alcohol, frozen, hand sanitizer and medicines (6% each)) are mainly different to the top categories that shoppers claim to be in short supply (fresh produce (21%) dairy and soft drinks (14% each)).
Government action
All adults in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who have been fully vaccinated no longer have to self-isolate if they are identified as close contacts of someone with COVID-19.
The government has put in place daily contact testing in England at critical workplaces to help alleviate absence issues.
Businesses are encouraged to continue with daily contact testing for employees who have not been fully vaccinated after 16 August.
DEFRA is keeping under review absence levels in all parts of the food supply chain and is requesting businesses complete this absence tracking survey as frequently as possible.
The Scottish government has announced asymptomatic workplace testing for organisations with ten or more employees.
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