The lunch crunch

Shop 'til the prices drop

82% of respondents in our survey said the credit crunch is having an effect on the way they shop for food and drink, with many opting for supermarket own-label items rather than premium brands and some changing the supermarket they regularly shop in (with the discounters Aldi and Lidl doing particularly well). The biggest trend was for looking out for offers such as 3-for-2s. A potential pitfall of this approach, though, is higher wastage, as we buy more than we need and end up throwing it away.

Jennifer Meakin, one of the organisers of British Food Fortnight, suggests regularly popping in to local shops: "Building a relationship with the shopkeeper, butcher or grocer means you're more likely to be kept up to date with what's good value when you visit." Other ways of finding affordable local produce (something which is important to our survey respondents, with 53% expressing a preference for buying British where possible, in spite of rising prices), include visiting pick-your-own farms and even foraging for feasts of berries, free of charge. There are more tips on their website.

82% of respondents in our survey said the credit crunch is having an effect on the way they shop for food and drink.

Big advances have been made over the last few years in raising the quality and ethical standards of the food we eat - Channel 4's recent Big Food Fight series highlighting, amongst other things, the plight of the battery broiler; the rise of farmers markets; and increasing demand for fairtrade foods are some notable examples. It would be a great shame for these to go out of the window entirely because of the economic situation, even if some compromises do need to be made.

BBC Green has investigated ways of buying organic on a budget - with some smart shopping, it's easier than you might think. Jennifer Meakin argues that in fact spending a little extra on quality can end up more economical in the long run: "Spending the same amount of money on a small piece of flavoursome cheese as you would on a large, more bland, piece of cheese means that you will need less of it to satisfy your taste buds".