6 food stats from the news, explained

87%

The proportion of top UK supermarkets that have called for an extension of up to six months or more to the current delay on new legislation over high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) food products. The survey by AI nutrition technology company Spoon Guru revealed that a quarter of respondents working at the top 11 supermarkets feel that they are uninformed about what the HFSS legislation will entail.

4/5

The proportion of SMEs that have faced increased prices from suppliers over the past six months. The rising cost of raw materials has led to inflation across the food and drink sector. Many SMEs are absorbing these costs rather than passing them on to consumers, according to MarketFinance. The majority of SMEs are generating revenue despite the increased costs, and are prepared to accept up to a 20% drop in revenue.

93%

How many UK retailers say sustainability is a ‘focus’ or ‘big focus’ for the next 12 months. When B2B marketplace business Creoate asked how retailers are making their business more sustainable, the most popular response was by ‘choosing products which are more sustainable/eco-friendly’ (84%), followed by ‘stocking more local products’ (68%), and ‘reviewing [their] own packaging/bags’ (64%).

31%

The no and low drink sector is forecast to grow 31% by volume by 2024, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, after growing 17% to reach a value of $741m in the UK last year. The multiples are betting on growth in alcohol-free drinks, with sales of zero-alcohol spirits at Tesco soaring by 106% in 2021 and by 91% at Sainsbury’s. While zero-alcohol spirits currently only make up 0.6% of the market, they are growing fast. 

20k

The number of small businesses in Scotland lost during a single year of the Covid crisis, according to official statistics. According to the Business in Scotland statistical release, between March 2020 and March 2021, the estimated number of small businesses fell by 5.4%, or 19,805.

-9

The average level of shopper confidence recorded by market analysts at IGD in November, up from -11 in October. Shopper confidence increased across most demographic groups, particularly those aged 25 and over and lower income households.