Sales of Spam and fish heads soar as shoppers search for cheaper food

• Sales of Spam and fish heads have both jumped by about a third, supermarket Waitrose said.
• The upmarket UK retailer says cash-strapped shoppers are "more mindful" about grocery costs.

Shoppers hit by the cost-of-living crisis have sent sales of Spam and fish heads up by more than a third, Sky News reported.

Sales of the canned meat had jumped by 36%, while sales of fish heads were 34% higher, the upmarket UK supermarket Waitrose said in its annual food and drink report.

The rises come as more consumers try to cut their grocery bills with UK inflation running at a 40-year high of 10.1%.

Almost three-quarters of Waitrose survey respondents said they're now "more mindful" about their grocery spending, according to the report.

Spam, made from minced pork shoulder and ham, has been sold since 1937 and became a food staple during the Second World War because it can be stored for a long periods.

It's also cheap: Walmart sells Spam for about $3.60 a can.

Sales of fish heads – typically used in stews, soups and curries – have been helped by the "use-it-all" trend, where consumers ensure nothing goes to waste.

An attempt to save money and the rising popularity of slow cookers has prompted some shoppers and restaurants to embrace previously "forgotten-about" ingredients, Waitrose said.

Sales of other cheaper cuts of meat such as beef shin rose by 23%, whilst ox cheek and lamb neck sales were up by 9% and 4%.

The supermarket said it was seeing "big changes" in customers' purchasing patterns. Almost a quarter said they were switching to supermarket own-brands, while more than a third were "shopping around more for offers."

The German discount chains Aldi and Lidl are attracting more shoppers in the UK, with Aldi overtaking Morrisons last month to become Britain's fourth-biggest supermarket chain by sales.

Insider contacted Waitrose for comment.