Three million UK households are being forced to skip meals as consumers resort to drastic measures to deal with rising costs, according to a Which? report published on Thursday. The conflict in the Middle East and subsequent surge in oil and raw material prices has led to businesses preparing to raise prices , putting more pressure on household finances and hitting consumer confidence. The Which? consumer insight tracker for the month to 10 April shows a fall in consumer confidence to -62. This is the lowest level since the peak of the cost of living crisis in 2022 and down from -56 the previous month. Most adults – 71% – believe the UK economy will deteriorate in the next 12 months, with only 9% predicting it will get better. And 85% are now worried about food prices, up from 83% in February. To manage rising costs, families are compromising on their shopping and eating habits, with 43% buying cheaper products, 37% purchasing more supermarket-branded budget items and 31% buying extra items when on sale.…