Three million households skipping meals as cost of living hits – Which?

The organisation’s latest Consumer Insight Tracker found consumer confidence fell to minus 62 this month – its lowest level since 2022.

Why This Matters

The rising cost of living has taken a devastating toll on households, with a staggering three million skipping meals, highlighting the urgent need for relief measures. This alarming trend underscores the severity of the economic strain on families. Consumer confidence has plummeted to its lowest level since 2022.

In Week 18 2026, Breaking News accounted for 20 related article(s), with UK Politics setting the broader headline context. Coverage of Breaking News decreased by 22 article(s) versus the prior week, but remained material in the weekly agenda.

Coverage Snapshot

Week 18 2026 included 20 Breaking News article(s). Leading outlets for this topic included CNBC, BBC, Independent. Across that cluster, sentiment showed a mostly neutral skew (avg score -0.00).

Key Insights

Primary keywords: consumer, organisation, households, confidence, skipping.
Topic focus: Breaking News coverage with positive sentiment.
Source context: reported by Independent Business.
Published: 2026-04-29.
Published by Independent Business, contributing a distinct source perspective.
Date context: published during Week 18 2026, when UK Politics dominated weekly headlines.

Tone & Sentiment

The article tone is classified as positive, driven by the language and emphasis in the summary. The sentiment score of 0.04 indicates the strength of that tone.

Context

The latest Consumer Insight Tracker from the organisation reveals a sharp decline in consumer confidence, with a reading of minus 62 this month. This trend is reflected in media coverage, with outlets such as Bloomberg and Reuters highlighting the impact of inflation on household budgets. The economic strain is not limited to the UK, with similar stories emerging from across Europe and the US. As the cost of living continues to rise, policymakers are under increasing pressure to address the issue.

Related Topics

Inflation

Key Takeaway

In short, this article underscores key movement in Breaking News and explains why it matters now.

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Independent Business Three million households skipping meals as cost of living hits – Which?