The vast majority of people buy their groceries at supermarkets, and, with recent tensions between the large supermarket giants of the country (Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s) rising, large price cuts have been made everywhere.
Unfortunately, these price cuts seem to be driving us towards an unhealthy diet.
Research by Cambridge University has uncovered the rates at which bargain prices have increased the amount of healthy and unhealthy food bought in supermarkets between 2006 and 2014.
It found that there has been a rise in the number of foods high in fat, saturated fat, and sugar bought on promotion, compared to a lower rise in the amounts of healthy foods, also bought on offer.
Healthier foods increased in sales through promotion by 20 per cent, but unhealthier foods rose by 35 per cent.
This disparity could be explained by the fact that most non-perishable items are processed foods. These, when put on offer, are great to bulk buy, and get a stockpile of. But the processed nature of them which stops them going off is what makes them bad for our diet.
On the other hand, healthier foods, like fruit and vegetables, are more likely to go off, making them not very good for bulk buying. Therefore, less gets spent on them when they are put in promotional offers.
Furthermore, it is thought that families that are better off are more likely to buy the unhealthy foods on offer because they have more money for an impulse buy, and will have enough space at home to store an excessive stockpile of food that will last and not perish.
With rising obesity levels and a general struggle to remain healthy and in shape, and apparently the deals in supermarkets are not helping, according to this study. Try not to be tempted by cheap deals, and make sure you are getting a healthy, balanced diet for you and your family.