Analysis of Food Standards Agency (FSA) research found that people who are concerned about food prices are more likely to take food safety risks.
The data comes from Consumer Insights Tracker reports from July 2023 to March 2024. The monthly online survey monitors the behaviours and attitudes of 2,000 adults across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on a range of food topics.
The findings suggest that economic pressures, including rising living costs and rising food prices, may be driving some people to engage in risky behaviour to save money.
In March 2024, one in four respondents said they had engaged in at least one risky eating behavior in the past month to save money, such as reducing cooking time or turning off a refrigerator/freezer that contained food.
Risky behaviour
The incidence of risky eating behaviours was also higher among people from ethnic minority backgrounds, those limited by a health condition or disability, and those under 35 years of age.
When asked about a range of issues, consumers were most concerned about price, followed by the level of ultra-processing, or over-processing, of food, and food poverty and inequality.
People who were concerned about food affordability were more likely to report being willing to take food safety risks to save money, such as lowering cooking temperatures or turning off refrigerators/freezers that contain food.
About three in 10 people who are worried about the cost of groceries reported eating expired food in the past month because they couldn’t afford to buy more.
“This latest data shows that the cost of buying food remains a concern for most consumers. What’s particularly worrying is that some say they are resorting to unsafe food safety practices to save money,” said Michelle Patel, deputy director of analysis at the FSA.
Overall trust in the food supply chain increased from 55% in July 2023 to 60% in March 2024. Three in four people said they were confident that people in the supply chain were ensuring food safety.
More than half said they knew something about the FSA, but the majority said they knew only a little. A third had heard of the FSA but had never heard of it. Among those who knew a little, the percentage who trusted the FSA’s work shifted from 55% to 62% in March 2024.
More than three-quarters are confident the FSA can be trusted to protect the public from food-related risks and the same proportion are confident the FSA will take appropriate action against these risks, while 66 per cent are confident the FSA is committed to communicating openly with the public about food-related risks.
The German view
Meanwhile, a public opinion poll in Germany found that many people are unaware of per- and polyfluorinated compounds (PFAS), which are persistent industrially produced compounds that can accumulate in the environment.
The consumer monitor is carried out by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and for the latest edition 1,000 people were interviewed in February.
Half of respondents had heard of Listeria in food, but only a quarter had heard of Campylobacter. More than nine in 10 had heard of microplastics in food, genetically modified foods and antibiotic resistance.
About two-thirds were concerned about microplastics and antibiotic resistance in food, a quarter were concerned about Listeria in food and 12 percent were concerned about Campylobacter.
60 percent feel they have enough knowledge about food hygiene at home, 52 percent say food bought in Germany is safe, 14 percent say it is not safe. 40 percent say food safety is improving, 37 percent say it has remained the same and 22 percent say it is declining.
“The Consumer Monitor shows that awareness and concern about certain consumer issues remains remarkably stable. It also consistently shows that man-made risks are considered more dangerous than natural risks,” said BfR President Andreas Hensel.
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