An increasing number of supermarket shoppers are showing an appetite for old fashioned wartime food, according to grocery price comparison site mySupermarket.co.uk.
Data collected from Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Ocado shows sales of retro classics such as powdered milk, sandwich paste and corned beef have soared over the last two years.
Sales of powdered custard have rocketed by 117 per cent, powdered milk by 36 per cent, fish paste by 18 per cent and sales of tinned salmon by 12 per cent.
In addition, sales of sandwich spread brand Shippam’s have grown by 77 per cent, spam and corned beef sales are up 19 per cent and 16 per cent respectively, and there has also been a 13 per cent rise in sales of brown shrimp.
According to mySupermarket.co.uk, shoppers in the east of England have developed the biggest taste for old fashioned classics, increasing their annual spend on these items by some 50 per cent since the start of the economic recession.
In contrast, the amount of money spent on retro products by grocery shoppers in London has fallen by 15 per cent over the same period.
Jonny Steel, spokesman for mySupermarket.co.uk, said the findings indicate that many consumers are relying on these once-maligned products as “cheap and cheerful” alternatives to more expensive products.
He commented: “It’s interesting to see these old style products enjoying a resurgence over the last two years.”
“The items that have seen sales increases are things we tend to associate with wartime, so this may well be a reaction to the recession as consumers look to rein in their shopping bills to get through a difficult time.”
