Spread sales fall as consumers seek cheaper alternatives

Families across the country are being forced to find cheaper alternatives for their morning toast, say experts, amid price rises for jam and sweet spreads of between 12 and 14 per cent.

But chocolate spread manufacturers aren’t complaining, as their product is the only one in the market to see a rise in sales, according to new industry figures.
All spreads have been hit by price rises in ingredients such as fresh fruit and sugar because of poor growing conditions around the world. Some spreads have also been affected by an increase in glass costs. Honey, meanwhile, has been adversely affected by a shortage of bees.
This has caused price rises of between 12 and 14 per cent for jams and other spreads, say analysts, which led to 2.1 per cent fall in sales last year.
Sales of Marmite were down eight per cent, honey 5.4 per cent, jam, which accounts for 28 per cent of all spread sales, fell by 1.1 per cent, marmalade by 2.8 per cent and peanut butter by 1.7 per cent.
Chocolate spread, meanwhile, witnessed a 10 per cent increase on volume sales, with value sales surging by 26 per cent.