F&Y2 Wave 10 Chapter 5: Eating at home

The deep dive ‘Eating at home’ module was last reported in the Food and You 2: Wave 9 Key Findings report. The core module was last reported in the Food and You 2: Wave 8 Key Findings report.

Question: When you are at home, how often, if at all, do you wash your hands before starting to prepare or cook food. Responses: always, most of the time, about half the time, occasionally, never, don’t know. Base= 4462, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire who ever do some food preparation or cooking for their household.

Question: When you are at home, how often, if at all, do you wash your hands immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or fish. Responses: always, most of the time, About half the time, Occasionally, Never, I don’t cook meat, poultry or fish, Don’t know. Base= 4324, all online respondents and those who completed the ‘Eating at Home' postal questionnaire who ever do some food preparation or cooking for their household, excluding ‘I don't cook meat, poultry or fish’ and ‘not stated’.

Question: When you are at home, how often, if at all, do you wash your hands before eating. Responses: always, most of the time, about half the time, occasionally, never, don’t know. Base= 4812, all online respondents, and those answering the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire.

Question: When eating outside of the home, how often, if at all, do you wash your hands, or use hand sanitising gel or wipes before eating? Responses: always, most of the time, about half the time, occasionally, never, don’t know. Base= 4804, all online respondents, and those answering the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire.

Question: What do you think the temperature inside your fridge should be? Responses: less than 0 degrees C (less than 32 degrees F), between 0 and 5 degrees C (32 to 41 degrees F), more than 5 but less than 8 degrees C (42 to 46 degrees F), 8 to 10 degrees C (47 to 50 degrees F), more than 10 degrees C (over 50 degrees F), other, don’t know. Base=4789, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire, excluding those who don't have a fridge.

Question: Do you, or anyone else in your household, ever check your fridge temperature? Responses: yes, no, I don't need to - it has an alarm if it is too hot or cold, don’t know. Base= 4788, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire, excluding those who don't have a fridge.

Question: How often, if at all, do you or someone else in your household check the temperature of the fridge? Responses: at least daily, 2-3 times a week, once a week, less than once a week but more than once a month, once a month, four times a year, 1-2 times a year, never/less often, don’t know. Base= 2448, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ questionnaire where someone in household checks fridge temperature.

Question: How often, if at all, do you cook food until it is steaming hot and cooked all the way through? Responses: always, most of the time, about half of the time, occasionally, never, don’t know. Base= 4462, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire who ever do some food preparation or cooking for their household.

Data on the consumption of red meat, duck, beefburgers, sausages and pork when the meat is pink or has pink or red juices is available in Food and You 2: Wave 9. 

Question: How often, if at all, do you eat chicken or turkey when the meat is pink or has pink or red juices? Responses: always, most of the time, about half of the time, occasionally, never, don’t know. Base = 4455, all online respondents, and those answering the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire, who are not vegan, pescatarian or vegetarian, and who do eat chicken/turkey.

Question: When reheating food, how do you know when it is ready to eat? (Select all that apply). Responses: I check the middle is hot, I follow the instructions on the label, I can see its bubbling, I use a timer to ensure it has been cooked for a certain amount of time, I check it's an even temperature throughout, I can see steam coming from it, I taste it, I stir it, I put my hand over it/touch it, I use a thermometer/probe, None of the above, I don't check. Base= 4258, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ questionnaire who ever do some food preparation or cooking for their household, excluding ‘I don't reheat food’ and ‘not stated’.

Question: How many times would you consider reheating food after it was cooked for the first time? Responses: not at all, once, twice, more than twice, don’t know. Base= 4267, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ questionnaire who reheat food using one of the methods in the previous question.

Question: When is the latest you would consume any leftovers stored in the fridge? Responses: the same day, within 1-2 days, within 3-5 days, more than 5 days later, it varies too much, don't know. Base= 4812, all online respondents, and those answering the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire.

Data on washing other types of meat, fish and poultry is available in the full ‘Eating at Home’ module (see latest results in Food and You 2: Wave 9).

Question: How often, if at all, do you wash raw chicken? Responses: always, most of the time, about half of the time, occasionally, never, don’t know. Base = 4462, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire who ever do some food preparation or cooking for their household.

Question: How do you store raw meat and poultry in the fridge? Please select all that apply. Responses: away from cooked foods, covered with film/foil, in a sealed container, in its original packaging, on a plate. Base= 4359, All online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire, excluding ‘I don’t buy or store meat or poultry’, ‘I don’t store raw meat / poultry in the fridge’ and ‘Don't know’.

Question: Where in the fridge do you store raw meat and poultry? Responses:  wherever there is space, at the top of the fridge, in the middle of the fridge, at the bottom of the fridge. Base= 4287, all online respondent and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire who store raw meat/poultry in the fridge except those who don't buy/store meat/poultry, don't have a fridge, or don't know.

Question: Which of these shows when food is no longer safe to eat? Responses: use-by date, best before date, sell by date, display until date, all of these, it depends, none of these, don’t know. Base= 4812, all online respondents, and those answering the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire.

Question: How often, if at all, do you check use-by dates when you are about to cook or prepare food? Responses: always, most of the time, about half of the time, occasionally, never, it varies too much to say, don’t know. Base= 4462, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire who ever do some food preparation or cooking for their household.

Respondents who answered ‘don't know / I don't ever check the use-by date of this’ are excluded from this net.

Question: When, if at all, is the latest you would eat or drink the following items after their use-by date? a=cooked meats, b=smoked fish, c=bagged salads, d=cheese, e=milk, f= raw meat such as beef/pork/lamb/raw poultry, g=shellfish, h=any other fish, i=yoghurt. Responses: 1-2 days after the use-by date, 3-4 days after the use-by date, 5-6 days after the use-by date, 1-2 weeks after the use-by date, more than 2 weeks after the use-by date, I don't eat/drink this after its use-by date, don't know/I don't ever check the use-by date of this. Base A= 4383, B=3387, C=4340, D=4530, E=4510, F=4335, G=3387, H=3836, I=4358, all online respondents and those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ postal questionnaire, who eat A/B/C/D/F/F/G/H/I. Please note: the figures shown do not add up to 100% as not all responses are shown.

Question Which, if any, of the following changes have you made in the last 12 months? Responses: Stopped eating meat or poultry or fish completely, Eaten less meat or poultry or fish, Eaten fewer eggs/drunk less dairy, Eaten less processed food, Started eating more fruit and/or vegetables, Started minimising food waste, Started growing fruit and/or vegetables, Started buying animal products with high welfare standards, Started buying fair trade products, Started buying locally produced food or food that is in season, Started buying foods with minimal or no packaging, Started buying foods that have been produced with minimal water usage and / or minimal deforestation, Started buying foods grown organically, Started buying sustainably sourced fish, Started getting food from the waste area or bins of a supermarket or shop (i.e., freeganism), Other, None of these, Don’t know. Base= 3926, all online respondents.

Please note the response options on the y-axis are abbreviated labels.