Shoppers switch from small shops to supermarkets for fresh produce

Most consumers are buying their fresh meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products in supermarkets, rather than butchers, fishmongers or other specialist shops, according to a survey.

Carried out by Behaviour & Attitudes for Checkout magazine, the survey of 475 shoppers found a switch towards supermarkets in fresh categories where speciality shops have normally been stronger.

For breakfast meats, 79% of consumers said they purchased mostly from supermarkets, 11% said they purchased mainly from butchers/specialist shops, and 10% from a mixture of both. In fish, 68% purchased mostly from supermarkets, compared to 14% from specialist shops and 18% from a mixture of both.