Cost of living insight and opinion
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Comment & OpinionWorking families don’t need growth. They need affordable food, close to home
When budgets tighten, families don’t abandon healthy eating intentionally – they know it’s bad for their health, but it is unavoidable in the moment, says Mark Game, founder of The Bread & Butter Thing
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Comment & OpinionFood prices will rise in 2026 – and suppliers need them to
The 2026 pricing round will filter into retail prices across late January and February, taking inflation back up to 5%, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionFeatures editor’s picks 2025: robots, chicken shops and pay gaps
With 2025 drawing to a close – and the weekend almost upon us – we thought this would be a prime opportunity to remind our readers of some of the very best features of the year
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Comment & OpinionTop Products 2025: cash-strapped shoppers seek added value
Intentional spending doesn’t automatically translate into a single-minded hunt for the lowest prices or loyalty-led discounts, says Julian Crane, MD UK&I at NIQ
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Comment & OpinionRetailers must navigate grocery’s trickiest Christmas trends
Financial pressures remain front of mind for many households across the UK, notes Luke Hand of Mail Metro Media
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Comment & OpinionBudget drama distracts from its very real consequences
A lot of hot air has been expended on attacking Rachel Reeves for ‘misleading the public’ – this has meant that real focus on the radical changes she made has been lost, says Ian Wright, partner at Acuti Associates
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Comment & OpinionThere is an alternative to the UK’s ‘broken’ food system
Social supermarkets and community pantries can help to rebuild a more equitable and functional food system, says Gary Stott, executive chair of Community Shop
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Comment & OpinionThe Inside Track: activist ideology or industry concern?
British agriculture and the food industry deserve better than this Trojan horse of faux concern concealing a radical anti-meat agenda
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Comment & OpinionPrinces is now the bellwether for UK business success
Princes is likely to become a real test of whether it is possible to run a newly minted, successful international food and drink business here in the UK, says Ian Wright, partner at Acuti Associates
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Comment & OpinionRana’s fresh pasta reformulation underestimates British tastes
The UK is not necessarily famed for its culinary arts – but does Rana really think shoppers won’t notice?
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Comment & OpinionWhy the cold chain is the real food waste villain
The real villain is the cold chain: cold air leaks away through old doors, thermostats drift off target, and dock doors get left open just long enough to undo a day’s worth of cooling, says Rob Rowsell, engineering director at Wirth Research
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Comment & OpinionHygiene poverty is a hidden crisis for too many children
One in 10 children have missed school because they lacked essentials like clean clothes or period products, says Dan Howell, MD at Kimberly-Clark UK&I
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Comment & OpinionCan the FareShare-Felix Project merger finally make redistribution mainstream?
The merger of FareShare and The Felix Project is potentially the first step towards giving this vital sector visibility, support and strategic clout
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Comment & OpinionIf Pret’s golden days are over, where does it go next?
Pret has reported a 3% increase in like-for-like sales but signalled a strong focus on value for money going forward, says Jeremy Garlick, partner at Insight Traction
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Comment & OpinionLa terza via: why premium home meals are the new eating out
Premium food brands and supermarkets are waking up to the fact British dining habits are changing, says David Milner, executive chairman at Crosta Mollica
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Comment & OpinionFood price inflation will bring down Starmer’s government
Sustained food price inflation promises to fuel a cost of living crisis which is immediately obvious to anyone who goes in a supermarket or convenience store (which probably excludes the PM), says Ian Wright, partner at Acuti Associates
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Comment & OpinionTalking to politicians is hassle. But we must use our voice
For most of the industry there has rarely been a time when policy formulation or the response to geopolitical events has been so potentially important, says Ian Wright, partner at Acuti Associates
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Comment & OpinionThe Big Pound Shop Swap: ‘eat worse for less’ with Denise van Outen
The programme may provide some welcome escapism for families struggling to make ends meet
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Comment & OpinionWhy has British TV lost its appetite for cookery shows?
As scandals plague existing cookery programmes, there’s a growing need for practical content that addresses Britain’s broken relationship with food, says Tom Neumann, founder & MD at Properoni
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Comment & OpinionHow we can all fight school holiday hunger – and why we must
When I was a teacher I could tell who had eaten breakfast before we took the register, says Rachel Kettlewell, founder of Fearne & Rosie