Shoppers 'turning to own-brands' as food prices rise

An increasing number of people are purchasing own-brand foods more often as food prices rise and force them to tighten their purse-strings.

According to consumer psychologist Dr Catherine Jansson-Boyd, buying non-branded products no longer has the same stigma attached as it once did and people would rather save their money than splash out on name brands.

Research carried out for the BBC recently revealed that food prices in the UK's supermarkets and shops have risen by 8.3 per cent since January.

Explaining the trend, Dr Jansson-Boyd said: "When somebody pays less that is obviously quite appealing, so [shoppers] will think: 'They are actually getting good value for money here' and because it is socially acceptable: 'Why shouldn't I be doing the same thing?'"

A recent poll by supermarket Sainsbury's found that own-brand produce now accounts for half the weekly shop of a quarter of Britain's consumers and over one in ten people buy own-brand products exclusively.

In addition, only 11 per cent of shoppers said they believe branded foods contain better ingredients and a third said they would not be able to tell the difference anyway.

Earlier this month, PayPal reported that 57 per cent of respondents to a survey said they now budget more strictly than they did 12 months ago and 62 per cent review their finances monthly in order to keep on top of their expenses.