FY2 Wave 3-4 NI: Chapter 2 Concerns about food

The FSA’s role, set out in law, is to safeguard public health and protect the interests of consumers in relation to food. In Northern Ireland, the FSA is also responsible for nutrition policy. The FSA uses the Food and You 2 survey to monitor consumers’ concerns about food issues, such as food safety, nutrition, and environmental issues.

Common concerns

Respondents were asked to report whether they had any concerns about the food they eat. Most respondents (88%) had no concerns about the food they eat, and 12% of respondents reported that they had a concern^(footnote).

Figure 3 Ten most common prompted food-related concerns

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Type of concern	Percentage of respondents
Food hygiene when ordering takeaways	42
Food hygiene when eating out	43
Animal welfare	44
Food poisoning	45
Hormones, steroids,
antibiotics in food"	45
The amount of salt in food	47
The amount of fat in food	49
Food prices	52
The amount of sugar in food	54
Food waste	55

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Source: Food and You 2: Wave 4

Respondents were asked to indicate if they had concerns about a number of food-related issues, from a list of options. The most common concerns related to food waste (55%), the amount of sugar in food (54%) and food prices (52%). Around half of respondents were concerned about the amount of fat in food (49%), and the amount of salt in food (47%) (Figure 3) ^(footnote).

Figure 4 Reported concerns about food

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	Not concerned at all	Not very concerned	Somewhat concerned	Highly concerned
Food produced in the UK and Ireland being what it says it is	9	38	36	13
The availability of a
wide variety of food"	7	33	42	15
Food produced in the UK and Ireland being safe and hygienic	8	36	35	17
Food being produced sustainably	3	20	50	21
Ingredients and additives in food	4	21	47	25
Food from outside the UK and Ireland being what it says it is	3	20	47	26
Animal welfare in the
food production process"	4	19	47	26
Genetically modified (GM) food	7	23	38	26
Food from outside the UK and Ireland being safe and hygienic	2	20	45	30
Affordability of food	2	13	50	33

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Source: Food and You 2: Wave 4

Respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they were concerned about a number of specific food-related issues. Respondents were most likely to report a high level of concern about the affordability of food (33%), and food from outside the UK and Ireland being safe and hygienic (30%). Around a quarter of respondents reported a high level of concern around genetically modified (GM) food (26%), animal welfare in the food production process (26%) and food produced outside the UK and Ireland being what it says it is (26%) (Figure 4) ^(footnote).