Spam and fish head sales jumped by a third as people searched for cheaper meals amid the cost of living crisis.
According to Waitrose’s annual food and beverage report, the famously unfashionable canned meat, made with ground pork shoulder and ham, rose 36%.
It’s been around since 1937 but the supermarket calls it “return king of 2022” and says many shoppers are looking for recipes involving the brick-shaped product.
This versatile meat can be used to make delicious dishes like fritters, sushi, barbecue and classic Spamburgers.
And while fish heads may not be to everyone’s taste, sales are up 34% this year as people increasingly use them in curries, soups, stews and stockings.
Waitrose says it’s partly due to the emerging “use it all” trend to reduce waste and also to more people using slow cookers to make cheaper meat and fish meals. .
Pilchards is another previously unfashionable fish food that seems to be gaining more popularity, with sales more than doubling in January.
It comes like Annual food price inflation in the UK hits 14.5% – the highest since April 1980, according to this week’s figures, while overall inflation was 10.1%.
Read more:
Explainer: Why are food prices rising at the fastest rate since 1980?
Organic shoppers are looking to save, and 72% tell Waitrose they’re more concerned with what they spend, with more than a third “buying brands” and 27% planning their meals in advance.
Four out of 10 people tell the supermarket they are using the freezer more to try to save money and avoid waste.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the foods that have the most impact on food inflation are breads and cereals, meat, milk, cheese and eggs.
