New research into the cost of living crisis has found that and increasing number of parents are buying less of the most nutritious foods for their children in a bid to make ends meet.

The work conducted by Red Tractor and You Gov found that 27% of parents are buying less meat and 18% are purchasing less fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, 39% of parents have replaced meat with carbohydrates, such as bread and pasta, in a bid to keep their children full on a tighter budget, the research showed.

Red Tractor, the food chain assurance company, in partnership with data analytics firm YouGov, also found 33% of families with young children are buying what they consider to be lower quality food as they look for cheaper options, compared to just 20% of households without children.


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This comes despite parents’ concerns that less-expensive products may have been produced to a lower quality (55%), have a greater negative impact on the environment (36%) and are less safe (19%).

Meanwhile, according to the Red Tractor and YouGov research, 42% of parents with young children believe the quality of food they can afford will decline further over the next 12 months.