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Majority of people ‘highly concerned’ about the affordability of food, FSA finds

11-Apr-2024 - Last updated on 11-Apr-2024 at 14:21 GMT

The most recent ONS figures put the food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation rate at 5%. Credit: Getty / Tom Werner

A newly published survey by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) illustrates the extent to which people are worried about food prices.

Conducted between 23 April and 10 July 2023 and featuring 5,812 people from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Food and You 2 survey found that 55% of people were ‘highly concerned’ about the affordability of food, up from 48% in a previous study conducted during the same period in 2022.

A further 34% said they were ‘somewhat concerned’, meaning a total of 89% of respondents expressed some level of concern over food prices.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation rate fell to 5% in February 2024, although prices increased by 0.2% when compared with January.

Meanwhile, 80% said they changed their eating habits in the previous 12 months due to financial reasons, with eating out less (49%) and eating at home more (45%) cited most often.

Some respondents also reported an increase in risky food safety behaviours, such as keeping leftovers for longer (21%) and eating food past its use-by date (21%).

The number of respondents who reported levels of household food insecurity remained at 25%, with 4% revealing that they had used a food bank in the past year.

Summarising the results, FSA chief executive Emily Miles said that the current level of concern about the affordability of food was at the highest level it had been since the survey was first introduced.

“It is particularly concerning that some respondents were telling us they were turning to riskier food behaviours to save money, such as keeping leftovers for longer and eating food past its use-by date,” Miles added.

“These types of behaviours can lead to a higher risk of people becoming ill with food poisoning.

“To make food go further, we are encouraging people to follow our tips for keeping food safe, including freezing food on or before its use-by date if you are not going to use it. We’ve got lots of advice on food.gov.uk (Opens in a new window)to help people use their judgement and make informed choices, while staying safe.”

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