Brits are willing to pay more for homegrown food, says research
Majority of diners would pay up to 10% more if the food has been made in Britain.
The research by Beacon, which works with 2,000 customers in the hospitality, care and leisure sectors, revealed that almost a quarter would be willing to spend 25% more, while some Brits are prepared to pay over 50% more for their meal if they know it includes regional produce.
The ‘Made in Britain’ option was voted the top trend amongst diners for 2018, ranking above veganism.
When asked to identify which food trends they were most excited about for the year ahead, nearly half of the respondents voted for ‘Made in Britain’ – four times the amount of people who said veganism and plant-based eating.
The top five dishes were: Roast dinners (25%), Fish and chips (11.9%), Steak and chips (10.2%), Pizza (9.6%), and the Full English breakfast (7.4%).
Beacon MD Paul Connelly said, “In recent months we’ve been managing price increases following turbulent times for many food and drink outlets since the Brexit vote. This is largely due to soaring costs for imported goods which is great news for British producers. The amount of quality British products available to operators now is vast, so it is encouraging to see that consumers are willing to invest close to home and support British producers.”
Regionally, those in the East Midlands were most likely to want local produce (62%), followed by London (60%) and Scotland (58%). The importance of British produce was most prevalent amongst 25 – 34 year olds, where over two thirds of respondents in this age bracket said they would happily pay more for homegrown food.
Connelly added, “Whilst it’s important to promote diversity in the food market in order for it to flourish, it’s also vital that we as an industry support British growers and producers. Incorporating home grown produce onto your menus will not only help to alleviate some of the significant price increases, but will also act as a selling point for customers, as well as supporting the UK economy.”
