// Tesco says shoppers are switching from fresh food to cheaper frozen food due to inflation
// Shoppers are also swapping pricier red meat for cheaper white protein such as chicken
Tesco boss Ken Murphy has revealed that Brits are swapping fresh food for cheaper frozen food as they adjust to the cost-of-living crisis.
The CEO of the Big Four grocer found that some shoppers were also swapping pricier red meat for cheaper white protein such as chicken, to cut costs.
Meanwhile, customers were using barcode scanners more when shopping to avoid being “embarrassed” at the tills, BBC News reported.
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
Murphy said shoppers were “managing their budgets much more tightly” as inflation remains at a 40-year high.
The grocer has sold double the number of frozen turkeys this year compared to 2019, as it becomes more evident that shoppers are opting for frozen food.
There has also been an increase in luxury frozen desserts, and searches for frozen food on Tesco’s website are up 40% from last year.
Murphy said that the UK was living in “times of turbulence and times of change” and people were worried about the “affordability of life today”.
However, customers were “really determined to enjoy Christmas this year” as it is expected to be the first festive period for three years without Covid restrictions.
Tesco is attempting to reassure customers, particularly as it overhauls its “reduced to clear” sections where discounted yellow sticker items are found.
The yellow sticker sections will make discount food easier to find in stores as customers seek value.
The new sections will be called “reduced in price – just as nice” and will be in 100 stores by Christmas, then extended to more stores throughout 2023.
Fellow Big Four grocer Sainsbury’s revealed on Monday that it is selling “an inflation-busting” Christmas roast dinner at less than £4 a head as it invests a further £50 million in its value plan.
Sainsbury’s said “it will be difficult for lots of customers” and has set aside £15 million to help during the cost-of-living crisis.
