Consumer confidence rises around many food issues

• A decrease since 2006 in concern over many food safety issues, including additives (35% down from 38%), food poisoning (36% down from 42%), and GM foods (20% down from 25%)
• Food labels remain important to shoppers looking for a range of information such as ‘best before’ dates, allergy advice and additives. Half of respondents said they check some form of labelling information when buying food.
• Almost half of respondents in the survey did not know the difference between ‘use by’ and ‘sell by’ dates on food.

• More than three quarters (78%) of consumers are now aware that we should be eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day, also an improvement on last year, and 58% claimed to be putting this into practice by eating at least ‘5-a-day’.
• The amount of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar in foods are still the main issues of concern among consumers. The quantity of fat and salt are the most commonly checked nutritional information on labels in the UK. However, the percentage of people who are concerned about these is slightly down since 2006 - concerns about fat down to 40% from 46%, saturated fat down to 37% from 44%, salt down to 50% from 54%, and sugar down to 39% from 43% in 2006.
• Nine out of ten respondents claimed that healthy eating is important to them, and 87% also believed that a limited budget is not a barrier to healthy eating, with those aged over 50 more likely to agree with this sentiment than any younger age group.

Andrew Wadge, Chief Scientist at the Food Standards Agency, said: 'This most recent survey is encouraging as it shows the majority of people do realise how important it is to eat healthily, and many are also savvy when it comes to shopping around and checking labels.

'A dip in concern over many food safety issues could point to growing consumer confidence in the regulation of the food industry. Alternatively, it might indicate a decreasing awareness of the importance of food hygiene, and this is something we will be addressing during Food Safety Week in June.

'However, what appears to be a drop in concern about how much fat and salt there is in our food, shows how critical it is that the Agency continues to raise awareness around a healthier diet and provides clear information and advice, backed up by scientific evidence.'

Findings from the four UK countries

Northern Ireland is the worst region in the UK for consuming five or more pieces of fruit and vegetables each day. More consumers in England, Scotland and Wales (59%, 54% and 50% respectively) claim to consume five or more pieces of fruit and veg each day than Northern Ireland consumers (45%).

Consumers in Northern Ireland have listed healthy eating in their top three concerns, ahead of house prices and behind crime levels and drugs.

In Scotland, almost half (45%) of respondents claimed to always or usually look at labels on products when buying them for the first time. However, compared to the rest of the UK, they are less likely always to refer to labels (25% in Scotland compared to 31% in the UK).

In Wales, nearly nine out of ten respondents claimed that healthy eating is important to them, and 88% also believed that a limited budget was not a barrier to healthy eating. There was also overwhelming agreement (83%) that parents should be strict with children and make them eat healthily.

Just over three quarters (76%) of consumers in England are now aware that they should be eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day and 50%, (also an improvement on last year), claimed to be putting this into practice by eating at least ‘5-a-day’.

Nearly half of respondents did not know the difference between ‘use by’ and ‘sell by’ dates on food. Just 54% of English respondents correctly stated the meaning of ‘use by.’ Awareness was lowest in the South West, where only 42% knew the meaning of ‘use by’ and at 66%, highest in Yorkshire and Humberside.

Click on the links below for further details of the findings across the UK.

Awareness of the Food Standards Agency

The Consumer Attitudes Survey also tracks awareness of the FSA and its role in providing clear consumer advice.

Figures of note include:

• Consumer awareness of the FSA remains at a constant high of 82%. Trust in the FSA is also high at 60%, up from 44% when this question was first asked in 2001.
• 65% of consumers are now describing themselves as confident in the Agency's ability to protect health with regards to food safety, compared with 50% in 2000.
• A third of consumers view the FSA as an organisation that they would go to for information on food safety and food scares, and one in five cited the Agency as a source of advice on healthy eating.