Why Does Food Shopping Feel So Expensive as a Student?
Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices have increased by 37.8% since January 2020.
Starting university in 2023, meant acquiring a new set of skills, including learning how to budget. Gone were the days of big supermarket trips with my parents, casually filling the trolley with my favourite foods without even looking at the prices. I had to become independent all of a sudden, which meant I had to manage my own food shops. I was astonished when I found out how much essential ingredients actually cost. Not only did I have to avoid fancy steak, I also had to be very careful and often look in different supermarkets to find the most competitive prices.
That shock was not just personal to me: by September 2023, food and non-alcoholic beverages prices in the UK had increased by almost 29% compared to January 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Office for National Statistics data. This explains why many students are struggling to manage food expenses, which also means potential impact on their health as many are not getting all the nutrients they need.
Source: Office for National Statistics
In January 2020, the food index was slightly over 104. During 2020 and the start of 2021, prices fluctuated, but overall they decreased slightly, falling by -0.7 % in January 2021. At the time very few people noticed a difference as prices were only changing by small amounts. However, after 2022 prices started to increase quickly. By January 2023 prices had risen by 21.02 % compared to January 2020. By January 2024, that increase was very close to 30% and by January 2025 it was over 30%. What food prices will look like in 2026 remains uncertain, but the steady rise over recent years raises the question of whether not only students, but a wider group of people, will have to start questioning what they put in their basket.
For me, this increase meant the supermarket became a place of constant decision making, often checking prices and choosing the right supermarket. A 12 pack of large eggs in Aldi for example is £2.89 compared to £3.25 in Tesco. While the difference may seem small, it can be surprising to see how much money is saved by the end of the month simply by buying the same item in the right supermarket.
Rising food prices are influenced by multiple factors. Two notable factors impacting food prices are Brexit and the UK leaving the European Economic Area of the European Union and the war in Ukraine which continues to have a ripple effect on energy costs and supply chains well beyond the region. According to BBC News, disruptions to global supply systems, increased energy costs and fertiliser costs have all contributed to the cost of producing and transporting food. Even though these sound like broad and complex national factors, they have a strong impact on day to day life and explain why food is more expensive nowadays.
Many students report similar experiences when shopping for food. Camilla Gramigna, third year Media, Journalism and Publishing student, admitted that rising food prices have forced her to think how and where she shops.
“I’m learning to shop in the right places. I believe Lidl offers the best prices here in Oxford”.
However finding cheaper food comes with a downside:
“ Getting the bus there costs £2.50 one-way so sometimes I question if it’s even worth it, when I go I try and get 10 days’ worth of stuff, and I get the occasional ingredient I need from Tesco in Cowley Road, much closer to where I live”.
Camilla’s words suggest that rising food prices also create hidden challenges, saving money also means more time spent planning, traveling and effort that not all students have, especially for food, an everyday essential. It is not surprising that Too Good To Go has become much more popular in the UK not only among students and groups of young people but families too, offering discounted food from major food chains like Greggs, Costa, and supermarkets.
What I believed was only a personal shock during my first supermarket shop, has turned into a bigger challenge for many people. The data highlights why food shops feel almost unaffordable now. This also changed how students experience independence, making everyday tasks like food shopping more challenging. Rising food prices in the UK is a source of significant anxiety among students as it can also lead to student debt. Already burdened by living costs higher than Student Finance England maintenance loans, many are forced to look for jobs to earn money to support a basic lifestyle and living costs.