Assessing differences in food purchasing behaviours among different ethnic groups in the UK

Title

Purpose

The aim of this work is to provide a detailed descriptive analysis of food purchases by households where the main shopper is from minority ethnic group in the UK and how this compares to households where the main shopper is from the white British population. We will: 1) Analyse differences between ethnicities in the distribution of food purchases using the different food groups in the Eatwell Guide. 2) Identify the most commonly purchased food items in each category. 3) Highlight frequently purchased food items.

Background

A significant share of the UK population comes from non-white ethnic groups, some of which are more likely than the white British population to experience poor health outcomes, including obesity. While the causes for these diseases are multifaceted, diet has been shown to play an important role in preventing these adverse health outcomes. Policymakers can support individuals to make healthier dietary choices by helping them understand what a healthy and balanced diet looks like. A better understanding of the types and frequency of foods purchased by different ethnic minority groups in the UK can be used to help inform policy tools and wider government messaging on a healthy balanced diet.

Aims and methodology

We will use data from Kantar Worldpanel for the period 2009 – 2020, containing details of households’ purchases of food items over that period. Around 40,000 households are observed each year. The data contain details of all individual food items purchased by households. This is a big advantage over other survey data which often groups items together, making it hard to know which exact foods are purchased. The Kantar data further record demographics of each household, including ethnicity of the main shopper.

Timing

March 2022