►Many Britons feel they have to watch the pennies after recent inflation rises and years of flatlining wages.

许多英国人觉得，在最近的通货膨胀和多年的工资持平之后，他们在过日子上不得不精打细算。

This extends to their supermarket shop， with four in 10 people reporting they are concerned about the cost of food.

当然他们的考虑范围也包括超市，四成人说他们担心的是食物的价格。

Against this backdrop， grocery giant Tesco has joined the discount retailers， which the launch of "value-orientated" chain Jack’s.

在这这样的背景下，杂货巨头乐购加入了折扣零售商的行列，推出了“以价值为导向”的连锁超市Jack’s。

Yet in relative terms， the British grocery shop remains one of the cheapest in the world.

然而相对而言，英国的杂货店仍然是世界上最便宜的。

Half the price

一半的价格

Britons spend an average of 8% of their total household expenditure on food to eat at home. This is less than any other country apart from the US and Singapore， according to data from market research firm Euromonitor.

英国人平均吃饭开支占家庭开支的8%，据市场战略调查公司 Euromonitor 的一项调查发现，除了美国和新加坡以外，英国是目前全世界在家吃饭开支占家庭开支比最低的国家。

Food spending varies considerably around the world. Greeks spend 16%， while Peruvians spend 26%. Nigerians spend the most on food in relative terms - 59% of their household budget.

根据这项调查发现，平均家庭吃饭开支占家庭收入比在世界各地差异很大，比如希腊占约16%，秘鲁占约26%，而尼日利亚高达59%。

The food consumed in the UK is also the cheapest in Western Europe - costing 8% less than the EU average， according to EU statistical body Eurostat.

据欧盟统计局统计，英国的食品消费在西欧也是最便宜的，比欧盟平均水平低8%。

It is also much cheaper in relative terms than the food bought by Britons’ parents and grandparents.

目前英国人的食物占其收入比已经大大低于父辈和祖父辈时代的比例。

The proportion of household income spent on food has more than halved over the past 60 years， according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS)， while spending on housing costs and leisure activities has doubled.

英国国家统计局的数字发现，英国家庭的基本食物开支占总开支的比例，相比60年前已经减半，而用于住房成本和休闲活动的支出则翻了一番。

Rise of the discounters

折扣商店的兴起

Why have Britons come to spend less and less of their income on food？

为什么英国人花在食物上的钱越来越少？

It’s partly a reflection of how people shop.

这在一定程度上反映了人们如何购物。

Store loyalty has decreased over time， with consumers more likely to shop around for the best prices.

随着时间的推移，顾客不再热衷于某一个商店，哪家产品性价比好，他们就去哪家。

Four out of 10 would not care if their usual supermarket closed， one survey of 1，500 of UK consumers found. Almost one in five had switched from their main supermarket in the past year.

一项针对1500名英国消费者的调查发现，四成英国人不在乎他们通常光顾的超市是否关门。近五分之一的人在过去一年没有光顾过他们原来常去的超市。

Technology boost

技术的提高

As with many countries， the UK has benefitted from mostly rising incomes， while food production has become more efficient.

与许多国家一样，英国主要受益于科技进步带来的深远影响，当然其中包括食品生产效率的提高。

Farming has become increasingly mechanised， which speeds up production and helps to maximise harvests.

机械化的农业加速了生产节奏，并有助于最大限度地提高收益。

At the same time， the way food is transported， stored and distributed has become increasingly streamlined. All of this has helped to push down the price of groceries in the shops.

与此同时，食品运输、储存和分发的方式也日益简化。所有这些都促使商店里货物价格的下降。