Shoppers’ belief in supermarkets plunges to lowest degree since horsemeat scandal

Shoppers’ belief in supermarkets has fallen to its lowest degree because the 2013 horsemeat scandal, in keeping with a brand new survey.

Consumer group Which? discovered that lower than half of shoppers – 48% – mentioned they trusted the sector to behave of their finest curiosity, whereas 18% mentioned they didn’t belief it in any respect.

It comes as many households battle with high inflation, with figures on Tuesday suggesting food prices are still rising faster than wages.

Which?’s month-to-month client perception tracker gave the sector a “trust score” of 30, out of its scale of -100 to 100.

That is the bottom since a rating of 24 was recorded after it was revealed in February 2013 that horse DNA had been discovered in frozen beef burgers and lasagne sold in some shops.

Some 85% of the two,000 folks surveyed additionally mentioned they have been nervous about meals prices.

Executives from the nation’s largest grocery store chains, together with Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, have strongly denied accusations they have exploited inflation by mountain climbing costs greater than mandatory to spice up their earnings.

A evaluate by regulator the Competition and Markets Authority also cleared food shops of profiteering last month, however discovered some retailers have been failing to show costs as clearly as they need to.

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Katie Alpin, head of strategic perception at Which?, mentioned: “Month after month of soaring food prices has seen trust in supermarkets plummet to a 10-year low – comparable to the dark days of the horsemeat scandal.

“The price of the weekly store is now on a par with power payments as the most important fear for thousands and thousands of households.

“Supermarkets have the power to ease the huge pressure faced by shoppers, especially families and those on low incomes, by putting low-cost budget range items in hundreds of more expensive convenience stores.

“Which? analysis has discovered that these shops not often, if ever, inventory the most cost effective merchandise.”

The survey additionally discovered 78% of shoppers had modified their procuring habits in response to increased meals costs, with 54% shopping for cheaper merchandise – whereas 24% mentioned that they had gone with out some meals.