Fast food expenditure by income and consumption trends in Britain

The bar chart illustrates weekly expenditure on three types of fast food across different income levels, while the line graph depicts consumption trends in Britain from 1970 to 1990.

Overall, it is evident that hamburgers and pizza experienced substantial growth in popularity over the two decades, whereas fish and chips became less popular. Furthermore, high-income households consistently spent more on hamburgers than other groups.

Regarding consumption, hamburgers saw the most dramatic increase, rising from 80 grammes in 1970 to 500 grammes by 1990. Pizza consumption followed a similar upward trajectory, climbing from 30 grammes to 290 grammes over the same period. Conversely, fish and chips, which started as the most consumed item at 300 grammes in 1970, witnessed a steady decline, reaching a low of 200 grammes in 1985 before a slight recovery to 210 grammes in 1990.

In terms of expenditure, high-income earners spent 45 pence weekly on hamburgers, significantly more than average (33 pence) and low-income (14 pence) groups. Interestingly, average-income earners spent the most on fish and chips at 25 pence, while pizza expenditure was highest among the high-income bracket at 19 pence per week.