Wave 5: Chapter 2 Concerns around food

Introduction

The FSA’s role, set out in law, is to safeguard public health and protect the interests of consumers in relation to food. The FSA uses the Food and You 2 survey to monitor consumers’ concerns about food issues, such as food safety, nutrition, and environmental issues. This chapter provides an overview of respondents’ concerns about food. 

Common concerns

Respondents were asked to report whether they had any concerns about the food they eat. Most respondents (80%) had no concerns about the food they eat, and 20% of respondents reported that they had a concern^(footnote). 

Figure 2. Most common spontaneously expressed food-related concerns

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 5

Respondents who reported having a concern were asked to briefly explain what their concerns were about the food they eat. The most common area of concern related to food production methods (25%), which included the use of additives (such as preservatives and colouring) in food products (11%), the use of pesticides / fertiliser to grow food (10%) and how food has been produced / processed (5%). The second most common concern related to food safety and hygiene (24%), which included food being cooked / prepared properly (10%) and the safety of food (5%) (Figure 2)^(footnote). 

Figure 3. Ten most common prompted food-related concerns

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 5

Respondents were asked to indicate if they had concerns about several food-related issues, from a list of options. The most common concerns related to food prices (66%), food waste (60%), the amount of sugar in food (59%) and animal welfare (54%). Around half of respondents were concerned about food hygiene when ordering takeaways (51%), food hygiene when eating out (50%), the amount of fat in food (50%) and the amount of salt in food (49%) (Figure 3)^(footnote).

Figure 4. Level of concern about food-related topics

Source: Food and You 2 Wave 5

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 (48%), animal welfare in the food production process (33%) and food from outside the UK being safe and hygienic (31%) (Figure 4)^(footnote). 

The reported level of concern about the affordability of food varied between different categories of people in the following ways:

• household size: households with 5 people or more (57%) were more likely to report that they were highly concerned about the affordability of food compared to smaller households (for example, 43% of 1 person households)
• annual household income: respondents with a lower income were more likely to report that they were highly concerned about the affordability of food compared to households with a higher income. For example, 54% of those with an income below £19,000 reported that they were highly concerned about the affordability of food compared to 37% of those with an income of more than £96,000
• region (England)^(footnote): levels of concern about the affordability of food varied by region in England. For example, respondents who lived in the North-East of England (59%) and East Midlands (54%) were more likely to report that they were highly concerned about the affordability of food compared to those who lived in the West Midlands (43%) and East of England (43%)
• food security: respondents with very low food security (77%) were more likely to report that they were highly concerned about the affordability of food than those with low (66%) or marginal (64%) food security. Those with high food security were least likely to report that they were highly concerned about the affordability of food (39%)
• ethnic group: Asian or Asian British respondents (57%) were more likely to report very high levels of concern about the affordability of food than white respondents (47%).