Released late last week, the Waitrose Food & Drink Report 2021 is based on wide-ranging new OnePoll research of 2000 people across Britain – not just Waitrose shoppers. Research is supported by insights from Waitrose food, drink, and retail experts, as well as from Waitrose shoppers. It is backed up with sales data from millions of purchases on Waitrose shops and online throughout the year.

James Bailey, Executive Director, Waitrose

Says James Bailey, Executive Director, Waitrose: “Our daily rituals, our attitudes towards supermarkets and the way we shop have been fundamentally reshaped by the pandemic. These changes are here to stay. The ‘new normal’ that we all spoke about back in the spring isn’t new anymore. It’s just normal.”

Other findings include:

• Nearly three-quarters of people want to see more food businesses in the UK express their ongoing support for local British producers, and 61% worry there will be a rise in factory-farmed meat coming into the UK if standards are not safeguarded (‘future of British farming’)
• More than half of us have been more carefully planning meals during the pandemic and intend to carry on (‘cooking is the new commute’)
• Nearly half of us have gone entirely cashless during the pandemic and intend to carry on (‘shopping – an online surge’)
• Almost 70% of us feel there’s more of a need to keep up our mental and physical stamina now than before the pandemic (‘health – the personal reset’)
• Almost 40% of us believe we’ve become more tech-savvy over this year, and half of us took part in regular family catch-ups over lockdown, with 72% saying we’ll carry on (‘a new appreciation’)
• Nearly two-thirds of us who got involved with our local communities over lockdown plan to continue (community – the return of local living)
• Almost half (43%) of 25-34-year-old car-owning households plan to reduce the number of cars they run (‘farewell to the car?’)
• Sherry is a surprise retro drinks trend, while many have discovered the fun of foraging (‘which trends are going up’, and ‘what have we been drinking’)