A new study by ThoughtWorks has revealed that by 2030 supermarkets may no longer exist in the UK, as the relationship between consumers and their source of food will undergo a drastic change.
The study found that 44% of British shoppers will refrain from going to a supermarket in the coming decade.
Recycling, food waste, scarcity of supply and ethics are set to become big issues for consumers in the coming years, and will redefine their relationship with supermarkets.
Conscious Consumption
The study was conducted with a representative sample of 2,000 adults who were asked to consider issues that would determine the way they bought food by the year 2030.
The results paint a picture of a steep and emphatic rise in conscious consumption.
In the study, 62% of respondents said their focus in the coming decade would be to use more recyclable materials and focus on products that use minimal packaging materials.
For 48% of respondents, reducing food wastage emerged as a primary focus area, while 24% said they will be more mindful about the amount of energy used in food production.
In the UK, around 11% of the value of food that households’ buy is wasted every week. Yet a third (32%) of those polled believe that the looming scarcity of food staples would change their relationship with food.
Ethical Concerns
Around 18% of 18-24-year-old respondents said they would avoid meat because of industrial production methods.
With rising awareness among consumers about the source of food, 36% of respondents opined that they will place much more importance on where the food they buy is grown, fished or reared.
Another 32% said they would seek assurance that the food they are buying has been ethically sourced from a sustainable supply chain.
The Health Factor
Health and well-being also emerged as determining factors in the way British consumers buy food in the future.
Overall, 38% of adults polled said the nutritional value of food will shape their purchasing decisions in the future, with 30% saying that they will consider food as an intrinsic part of health and well-being.
For 41% of survey respondents, tackling the obesity crisis emerged as a top priority.
Kevin Flynn, director of retail strategy at ThoughtWorks commented: “What is emphatic, and a little surprising, from our research, is how well people can see what’s coming next.
"The days of pushing a trolley around a big warehouse, buying over-packaged goods and chasing value offers are numbered."
Flynn believes that while supermarkets will not cease to exist, they are likely to undergo a major transformation and "look very different."
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
