Mastication costs Brits millions
(02 February 2006)

Brits are today chewing over new research which reveals that they spend a massive £317 million on gum each year.

Figures released by Mintel show that we ploughed through almost a billion packets of chewing gum in the last 12 months, with 29 packs being purchased each second, 1,700 every minute and 2.5 million every day.

Healthier options such as sugar-free gum have prompted this upsurge of popularity – sales are up 28 per cent since 2001 – with such products taking up three-quarters of the market nowadays.

Lent, when people look for alternatives to chocolate and other sweets, is also thought to be a boost for sales, as is the imminent smoking ban.

Senior Mintel analyst Julie Sloan observed: "Our research shows that chewing gum and in particular sugar free gum is appealing to a wider range of people than ever before, with much younger and also much older people reaching for a packet of gum.

"Once chewed mainly just for the taste, gum has benefited from high levels of new product development, which have encouraged people to try some for the first time."

What these figures demonstrate, too, is how much we spend on everyday items – whether they be necessities or comfort props. The amount spent on chewing gum alone can be seen as an interesting hint as to the cost of day-to-day existence.

If you step back and find that you're shelling out far more than you imagined on small, but necessary to you, items then a payday loan of between £80 and £1,000 can ensure that you don't miss out on – for example – your chewing gum fix while you work out how to budget more effectively for the long term.



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