Age UK is Calling for Shops to make Food Shopping Easier for Older People

With one in ten people aged over 65 in the UK  who live at home at risk of malnutrition, Age UK is calling on supermarkets  and corner shops  to make  food shopping easier for  millions of older people across the country.^[i]

While the weekly shop may be a relatively painless chore for most people, it is often an overwhelming and exhausting ordeal for many  in later life and simply impossible for some.

Nineteen percent of people aged 65 and over say that they have a long standing illness that makes shopping difficult or out of the question leaving them more susceptible to malnutrition.^[ii]

Age UK’s  call comes in its  report “ Food Shopping in Later Life – Barriers and Service Solution” which  is being launched  at a conference in London tomorrow  (Tuesday July 3) co-hosted with the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS).

Supermarkets and even local convenience stores  often seem like  obstacle courses for older people  – from narrow aisles, shelves that are too high or low and a lack of adequate  rest and toilet facilities. In addition,  packaging which is difficult to open and  supermarkets’ habit of discounting  food bought in bulk makes shopping  frustrating and more expensive for the 3.7 million people  aged 65 and over who live alone.

The challenge is even greater for those who live in rural areas where public transport to the nearest  supermarket may be thin on the ground making shopping difficult or inaccessible for the 48 per cent of people over 70 who do not drive.^[iii]

With older households spending  £109 billion a year in total, Age UK is calling on convenience stores  and supermarkets to lift the barriers to shopping  facing older people.

Michelle Mitchell, Age UK’s Charity Director General said, “ Food shopping is an exhausting ordeal  for many  older  people as they  try to  contend with  narrow aisles,  a  lack of rest and toilet facilities, and public  transport as well as  packaging that’s difficult to open.

“As our population gets older, this is going to become more and more of an issue. That’s why we’re calling on supermarkets and corner shops to wake up to the physical  challenges facing  many older people and make some basic changes which are likely to attract more business and make shopping  an easier experience.”

Age UK’s recommendations include making shops fully accessible to older people, training staff about the needs of older customers, offering smaller packages of perishable food to suit single households, changing difficult to open packaging and providing more rest areas and toilets.

Age UK’s local partners run a variety of shopping services which help older people get to their nearest supermarket  and deliver food.

JV FC