Consumer price awareness increases dramatically

The pursuit of a healthier diet is on the wane now that the threat of COVID-19 has been temporarily averted. There is more carefree enjoyment of food. But price awareness has increased dramatically. Six out of ten consumers, twice as many as in 2021, pay more attention to food prices than before. This often results in flat savings, according to a report by Motivaction on eating habits in the Netherlands.

Living and eating healthier is no longer the norm

A third of the Dutch population (35%) has made changes in their daily lifestyle in the past twelve months to live healthier. This percentage is lower than in recent years, no doubt partly because living even healthier is not possible for a number of consumers, but also because the need for a more responsible lifestyle is declining. To illustrate, less than half of households (48%) now have a healthy meal on the table every day, some six to eight percent less than during the corona years. On the other hand, there is a growing number of people who eat what they like, whether it is healthy or not. 

Number of people cutting down on meat stabilising 

The number of people cutting down on meat and avoiding meat is stabilising. More than one in ten Dutch people, almost double compared to six years ago, consider themselves vegetarians. Four out of ten people consciously eat no meat or fish on one or several days of the week. The essence of this is still that many consumers want to eat less animal food, without always being successful or consistent in doing so. 

Substantial acceptance of protein substitutes, own health first

For four out of ten consumers, regular meat replacements are no longer unpopular, while two out of ten are already open to products based on, for example, algae or insects. The acceptance of protein substitutes, traditional and alternative, is therefore already considerable and is expected to increase even further. One's own health is the most important 'driver' for wanting to eat more plant-based foods, and is therefore slightly more important than concern for animal welfare or the environment.

More seasonal, more local

Other trends that continue this year are those towards a preference for more seasonal and more locally grown food. This is a welcome development for angry farmers and for those concerned about the carbon footprint of food.

Cutting back on food is key

Throughout all this, the dark red thread is that of dramatically increased price awareness. Six out of ten consumers pay more attention to food prices than before. And they act accordingly. This begins with awareness, translates initially into buying less, buying on sale and choosing private labels, and ends in a swap from service supermarkets such as Albert Heijn and Jumbo to discounters such as Lidl and Aldi. This does not directly mean fewer customers per retail formula, but it does mean a shift in the share of wallet in favor of the cheaper supermarkets.

Motivaction.nl

For the online survey, Motivaction's StemPunt panel, with more than 70,000 members, was used. 1,009 respondents aged between 18 and 80 completed the questionnaire in full. The fieldwork was carried out in mid-May 2022.