What it means: the food households bring home, recorded in diaries of everything they buy, in grams per person per week across the UK. It leaves out food eaten in cafés, restaurants and takeaways, and counts food that is bought even if it is later thrown away. The groups in the chart came to 5,207g a week in 2024-25, against 7,252g in 1974. Bread, cereals, cakes and biscuits are the largest group by weight (1,330g). Since 1974, potatoes have fallen from 1,437g to 540g, sugar and preserves from 535g to 78g and fats from 316g to 138g, while fruit has risen from 731g to 965g. Each person also bought 1,462 ml of milk and milk products, 2.2 eggs, 1,448 ml of soft drinks and 127g of sweets and chocolate a week. Shown for context.

Source: Defra, Family Food, UK household purchases (quantities), published 17 September 2026.