Shoppers under the age of 35 are wasting less food but prepared to pay more for premium food, the IGD has revealed.

Results from a ShopperTrack survey released today (28 November) stated that 43% of younger consumers are cooking more with leftovers, compared to 30% of over-35s, and are twice as likely to be prepared to pay extra for premium quality food.

Among the younger shoppers, 51% of them claim to be cooking more from scratch, compared to 35% of over-35s, and more of them want to buy from specialist stores including butchers, bakers and fishmongers.

The research also revealed that 26% of shoppers under 35 expect to buy more organic food over the next 12 months, compared to 13% of over-35s.

IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch welcomed the research. She said: “This is great news for the whole food chain in the UK. The last 20 years have seen a foodie revolution as people have grown up watching celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay.”

She added that shoppers under 35 have travelled abroad more than their parents or grandparents and as a result are aware of the challenges facing the global environment.

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IGD ShopperTrack conducted a survey using 1,000 shoppers between 1 and 31 October.

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