News Story

Office workers are increasingly returning to packed lunches as they seek to protect household budgets from the rising cost of living, a survey has suggested.

Almost half of UK professionals (46%) now take a packed lunch to work more frequently than they did a year ago, the poll for online grocer Ocado found.

The trend is particularly pronounced among younger workers, with 64% of those aged 18 to 45 saying they take lunch to work more often than they did a year ago.

Overall, some 69% say that buying lunch near the office has become too expensive while 72% say bringing food from home helps them better manage household finances.

Nutrition is another key reason for taking food from home, with 66% saying packed lunches make it easier to eat healthily and track calories.

Traditional sandwiches remain popular, included in 52% of packed lunches, while Ocado’s own figures show searches for both “lunch bowls” and lunchbox snacks are up 79% year on year, while sales of ziplock bags are up 60%.

Sales of Babybel cheese snacks are also up, by 34% year on year.

Dan Elton, chief customer officer at Ocado Retail, said: “Consumers are looking for smart, practical ways to save money, embracing packed lunches as part of their routine to curb everyday on-the-go spending.

“Our search trends show there is a clear demand for affordable, inspiring options amongst our customers.”

Clariti surveyed 2,126 UK adults in August.