Office workers turn to homemade lunches to curb on-the-go spending

Surging lunch costs are driving Brits back to homemade meals to protect household budgets, according to online supermarket Ocado.com.

Research reveals that nearly half of UK office workers (46%) now bring a packed lunch to work more frequently than they did a year ago.

Seven in 10 (69%) say that buying lunch near the office has become too expensive, while 72% say bringing food from home helps them better manage household finances. Nutrition is another core driver, with two-thirds (66%) noting that packed lunches make it easier to eat healthily and track macros or calories.

Although traditional sandwiches remain popular (52%), Ocado shoppers are increasingly seeking out more inspired options, with searches soaring for salad bowls (+100%), pasta salad (+24%), and grain bowls (+173%).

Convenient grab-and-go lunchbox snacks are also increasing, with searches for lunchbox snacks spiking 79% and sales of Babybel having risen by 34% on Ocado.

The supermarket giant says the shift is being driven by younger generations establishing long-term habits, with a quarter of Gen Z and Millennial employees (25%) saying they bring a homemade lunch every day they are in the office. Almost two thirds (64%) of this demographic admit they bring their lunch to work more often than they did last year.

Dan Elton, chief customer officer at Ocado Retail, commented: “Consumers are looking for smart, practical ways to save money, embracing packed lunches as part of their routine to curb everyday on-the-go spending. Our search trends show there is a clear demand for affordable, inspiring options amongst our customers.”