Tesco shoppers switching from fresh to frozen foods as cost of living crisis bites, reveals boss - 'People are EMBARRASSED'

Households are bearing the brunt of the cost of living crisis and changes in their shopping habits are beginning to reflect that.

Shoppers are now looking to purchase cheaper frozen goods as opposed to fresh food, according to the boss of Tesco.

Ken Murphy, chief executive of the UK’s largest supermarket said consumers are looking for white protein options instead of pricier red meat.

He claims people are left “embarrassed” by their buying habits, often using the hand-held barcode scanners to avoid interaction as a result.

Mr Murphy said shoppers were “managing their budgets more tightly” and are now “trading down” to cheaper food and own brand products.

Hand-held barcode scanners allow people to “keep to a specific budget”, according to the supermarket boss as customers are able to keep an eye on the running total cost.

This would therefore allow them to avoid being “worried about being embarrassed at the till” if it turned out they could not afford their shopping.

By checking on the total running cost, people can avoid finding out at the till that they cannot afford their shopping.

The number of frozen turkeys being sold this year has doubled compared to 2019, which is due to shoppers cutting back, Tesco has said.

Luxury frozen desserts have also spiked, as has frozen food searches in general on Tesco’s website, with a 40% surge from last year reported.

Mr Murphy told the BBC that the UK was living in “times of turbulence and times of change” and people were worried about the “affordability of life today”.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) say food prices has surged sharply in October with milk, pasta and eggs all rising.

Official figures said food price inflation hit 16.2% in the year to October, up from 14.5% in September.