WIREDGOV

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the end of year report from its monthly Consumer Insights Tracker (CIT).

The end of year report covers the period July 2023 – March 2024.

The report found that in March 2024 when respondents were asked to say how concerned they felt about a list of food-related topics, the issues that were of concern to the highest number of respondents were:

a.    food prices – 87% concerned
b.    ultra-processed, or the over-processing of, food – 77% concerned
c.    food poverty and food inequality – 75% concerned

The proportion of respondents reporting concern about these topics has remained broadly stable since July 2023. 

The number of consumers saying they were worried about their household’s ability to afford food in the next month has declined slightly from 28% in July 2023 to 22% in February and March 2024. However, those worried about food affordability were more likely to report taking food safety risks to save money, such as lowering the cooking temperature of food or turning off a fridge/ freezer that contains food. 

This latest data shows that the cost of buying food is still a worry for most consumers. While we've seen a slight improvement, still over one in five of us tell us they are worried about affording food. It is particularly concerning that some say they are resorting to risky food safety practices to save money.

Michelle Patel, Deputy Director, Analysis at the FSA

The full report (Opens in a new window) is available in the research section of our website.

About the Consumer Insights Tracker

The CIT is the FSA’s monthly tracking survey that monitors changes in consumers’ behaviour and attitudes in relation to food. 

Each month, the survey is conducted with approximately 2,000 adults (aged 16 or over) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who are signed up to YouGov’s online survey panel.  

The CIT complements the FSA's official statistic Food and You 2 survey which collects more comprehensive data on a biannual basis, providing longer term monitoring of consumer behaviour and attitudes over time. 

To find out more

To hear more details about our end of year report sign up to our Food for Thought seminar on 14th of August here (Opens in a new window).

The next quarterly report covering findings from April – June 2024 will be published on 29th July 2024.