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 Klaus Grunert discusses in Global Cuisine why customers may be "reshuffling" their purchases to deal with food inflation and anticipated food shortages in an effort to combat food price hikes themselves.

Are Europeans changing the way they buy food?

How are European customers changing their buying behaviors to deal with price hikes, with the EU's food inflation rate hitting a peak of 17.26% in October 2022?

53 percent of consumers in Europe, according to a research, are "extremely worried" about food shortages and have changed their purchasing habits to deal with food inflation.

According to Dr. Andy Zynga, CEO of EIT Food, "the ongoing Russian assault against Ukraine has thrown into sharp perspective just how precarious our food system may be."

"We must produce enough inexpensive, wholesome food for everyone, address supply chain concerns, and promote innovation urgently. However, we must do it in a sustainable, equitable, and efficient manner."

Shoppers spending less or switching brands and making more deliberate food choices are two of the major shifts seen in the survey.

Professor Klaus Grunert of the Department of Management at Aarhus University explained to Global Cusine that "people are reacting by rearranging" their food-buying habits in response to the study's findings, "Changes in food behavior in times of crisis."

What served as the study's motivation?

• Klaus Grunert (KG): We are currently experiencing a time of upsetting occurrences, which have affected customer behavior. We are currently dealing with the war in Ukraine, the COVOD-19 pandemic, as well as rising energy prices. We are currently dealing with the war in Ukraine, the COVOD-19 pandemic, as well as rising energy prices.  

• Price increases and how they impact consumer behavior with regard to food are of interest to researchers. We are particularly interested in other factors like sustainability and climate change, which most people say account for shifts in consumer behavior

Were the study's findings unexpected or predicted?

• KG: Some parts were predictable. People adjust their demand, purchase alternatives, and generally become more price sensitive in response to price increases.

• Some of the trends that emerged in response to COVID-19 two years ago are still present. For instance, two years ago, we discovered that people were spending more time in the kitchen, were more inventive with their home cooking, and enjoyed dining with their family more. That seemed obvious given that lockdowns had kept many at home.

• Compared to two years ago, there is now more thought-out discussion. Consumers compare goods more frequently, examine labels more diligently, and make less impulsive purchases. When it comes to food prices, they are under pressure. It might have seemed necessary for some individuals to quit considering sustainability and healthfulness, but this doesn't appear to have happened; in fact, the demand for these items may have increased.

Do you believe that the pandemic's effect of more people eating at home would be detrimental to the hospitality sector?

• KG: My prediction is that there will be a rebound impact there, just as there is a rebound effect in the travel sector. Due to unfulfilled demand, people are once again eating in restaurants, which caught several suppliers off guard. My sense is that the hospitality sector profits from customers returning after a time when they are compelled to dine at home.

What has the public made of the prospect for food shortages?

• KG: The results of our survey asking individuals if they are worried about food shortages as a result of the conflict in the Ukraine were predictable. Grain shortages and the worries raised by experts about grain have been widely covered in the media. Of fact, some people also have first-hand accounts suggesting that certain items may have been in low supply.

• Although the data indicates that individuals are worried, we are unsure of the extent to which people have actually experienced food shortages. People claim that because of price hikes, they have started shopping at alternative stores and practicing greater food frugality.

• I predict that in order to deal with pressures, people would subsidize some of the products they use, which will then have an effect on the meals they consume.

Do you anticipate that people will start choosing alternatives to once-favorite products like dairy and red meat?

• KG: are. It's intriguing because it fits in with another trend that emerged two years ago: a rise in veggie interest. Although many individuals are discussing the shift to a plant-based diet among consumers, it is unclear how widespread this movement will be over the next year or two. 

Why is it necessary for businesses in the modern world to make sustainable products?

• KG: Up until now, sustainable solutions have been specialized goods that cater to a market ready to pay extra for them. But in order for sustainability to be incorporated into a wide range of possibilities, mainstream items must match sustainability.

• Because not all areas of sustainability require a significant increase in cost, businesses must create sustainable products that appeal to the mass market.

How do you anticipate customer fears about food shortages developing over the coming year?

• KG: Depending on what occurs. We are currently experiencing a decline in European inflation. Currently, there are no significant food shortages. As a result, worries may be subsiding and people may begin to make decisions connected to their fundamental requirements and objectives in terms of eating.

• Of course, this will alter if the food supply system is disrupted in 2023. There are normally two types of responses when people are faced with a crisis. First, there are long-lasting tendencies that are being strengthened, and after that, there are crisis-related responses where people stray from "normal behavior," but these responses typically come back within a year or two.

Do you believe that authorities in Europe should inform citizens that there aren't any relevant food shortages right now?

• KG: Absolutely, yes. That, in my opinion, would be a crucial move. For the peace of mind of the consumer, I believe it would be quite beneficial if we had some kind of information coming from the authorities.

Consumers are expected to enter supermarkets in 2023 with more on their minds than simply checking everything off their shopping list. They will likely be considering food inflation, possible shortages, and the cost-of-living crisis. If more people decide to cook at home, food sales may rise, but the ingredients they use may not be the same as those they purchased at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the upcoming months, will they rely on their own brands or look for eco-friendly alternatives? Time will only tell.