Four in ten Brits are concerned about the amount of plastic packaging in their food and drink items, reveals survey

September 2021

Four in ten Brits are concerned about the amount of plastic packaging in their food and drink items: A survey has revealed that four in ten UK shoppers have concerns regarding the level of plastic surrounding their food and drink items. 

Furthermore, 51% of 55–64 year-olds have expressed their concern about the impact that plastic is having on the environment and themselves; making the age group the most outspoken about plastic pollution.

The study, by Harris Interactive, polled 1,000 UK shoppers and highlighted the biggest issues in reducing the number of single-use plastics. A quarter stated they don’t believe the alternatives are as good, with a further 46% saying they don’t believe there are enough alternatives to rival plastic packaging. The lack of alternative packaging was the third biggest issue; behind ocean (65%) and land (54%) pollution.

Just under three-quarters of the participants polled said brands and manufacturers have the most responsibility to help the plastic problem; with 54% saying that consumers have more responsibility than the government (52%).

When asked about which supermarkets have made the most progress in the past five years, nearly three in ten said 'none of them', while 15% said Tesco. In comparison, just 3% believe Iceland has reduced its single-use plastics well, with only 4% believing Lidl has made significant progress.

The survey highlighted that nearly a quarter of participants are willing to attempt cutting out single use plastics completely, with 23% saying they have tried a plastic-free challenge. 18-34 year-olds were most likely to take on the challenge, with two-thirds, of those who took the challenge, saying they managed to complete it. Challenges ranged from a plastic-free month, to a single shop with the aim of  reducing the number of single-use plastic items bought.

Nearly three in ten (29%) shoppers stated they felt 'quite concerned' about the number of single-use plastics used to package their food and drink, with a further 22% saying they felt a 'little concerned'. On the other hand, 7% answered 'it doesn’t matter', with 3% unable to decide.