The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 4 letter word CUT DOWN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
U
T
D
O
W
N
More clues leading to the result CUT DOWN
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "consume less" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case consume less = cut down.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CUT DOWN mean?
CUT DOWN adjective- Reduced in size or scope.