Cash strapped students turn to soup

Cash-strapped students are slurping their way through the recession with supermarkets reporting a huge increase in sales of soup.

Sales of ready-made soup in packets and cans have soared by more than 40 per cent, according to retail giant ASDA.

At the same time, demand for microwave meals is down by 40 per cent, with consumers opting to make their own meals rather than relying on convenience food.

Supermarkets are also witnessing a jump in sales of fresh vegetables and cheap cuts of meat, much of which is going to make homemade soups and stews, according to analysts.

Slow cookers last year saw a 1,600 per cent increase in sales, as shoppers learn that can help them cut costs.

A spokesman for ASDA said: "People are fighting back against the recession with changes in shopping habits. They are doing more for themselves.

"Customers are trying to get more for their money and soup is seen as a good bet as a quick, easy and nourishing meal.

"There are also signs that people are wasting less. We've seen a huge increase in tupperware with people making things such as soup and casseroles and freezing them to save money."

ASDA's results are mirrored across other supermarkets and shops according to leading retail analysts Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS).

A TNS spokesman said: ''Consumers are turning to soup because it's a cheap and filling food. In these cash conscious times that is what a lot of people want.

''Supermarket soup is not quite the 21st Century equivalent of the soup kitchens that were seen in the Great Depression of the 1930s, but perhaps there is an echo of it."