The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has called on Government to reconsider restriction on food promotions after its study found that a quarter of consumers use them to help save money on shopping.

The survey, which commissioned by the FDF, found that 73% of in-store shoppers say they usually or always purchase products that are on promotion when shopping.

In addition, 25% of respondents suggested that if there were no promotions, they would be concerned about the affordability of their shopping.

Nearly two thirds of participants (62%) also agreed that promotions are an important way to save money on food and drink, with nearly three quarters of participants (72%) wanting promotions to continue, finding them useful for saving money, stock up on food for the future and trying new products.

“We urge the Government to consider these findings as they press on with their plans to restrict retail promotions and think about the impact this may have on the shopping basket and for shoppers during an incredibly difficult economic time.”

The findings come following news that the Government remains committed to plans that would restrict promotions of high fat, salt and sugary (HFSS) food products, including multibuys and buy-one-get-one-free deals.

Commenting on the findings, FDF’s chief scientific officer, Kate Halliwell, said: “The survey results clearly demonstrate that a large majority of in-store shoppers use promotions as a way to save money on their food and drink shopping. We’re extremely concerned that removing these promotions will add to the household’s food bill.

“There is evidence that during a recession, many people increasingly rely on promotions to help them save money. It’s predicted that the average shopping basket may increase by £600 a year without promotions in retail. We have already seen evidence of rising food costs – at the start of lockdown we saw a spike of 2.4% increase in food prices, fuelled by a 15% fall in promotions which accounted for over half of this inflationary spike.

“We urge the Government to consider these findings as they press on with their plans to restrict retail promotions and think about the impact this may have on the shopping basket and for shoppers during an incredibly difficult economic time.”