Survey reveals a quarter of people are now classified as food insecure
September 2023 - Food
Survey reveals a quarter of people in are now classified as food insecure: A survey of people in the UK has revealed that the number of people who are now classified as food insecure has risen to 25%, up from 16% in 2020.
The biannual survey for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) conducted by Ipsos polled people in England, Wales and North Ireland, finding that three-quarters were found to be food secure (75%), breaking down to 61% being highly food secure and 14% marginally. Among those who were considered food insecure, 12% were considered to be 'low' with a further 12% found to be 'very low'.
The cost of living crisis was also found to have impacted respondents, with eight in 10 survey participants revealing they have made changes to what they eat over the course of the last 12 year because of financial reasons.
The Food and You 2 survey also looked at a number of other areas including confidence in the food supply chain, confidence in food safety, awareness, concerns about food and awareness, trust and confidence in the FSA.
When it comes to concerns about food, the survey found that the majority of people have no concerns about the food they consume (82%). Of those respondents who said they did have concerns, the most common areas cited were related to food safety and hygiene (32%) and the quality of food (23%). All respondents were then asked to select from a list which would be their primary concerns, with almost two-thirds of respondents polled selecting food prices food (65%) with other areas cited including food waste (62%), the quality of food (61%) and the amount of packaging used (56%).
Three-quarters of respondents polled said that they have confidence in the food supply chain, with greater confidence reported for farmers (88%) and supermarkets/shops (85%) than in takeaways (62%) and food delivery services (45%). Most respondents also said they have confidence that the food they buy is safe for them to consume (93%), with 87% also expressing confidence that food labels on the food they buy is accurate.
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