News

The Consumer Insights tracker provides up-to-date findings each month on consumer behaviour and attitudes in relation to the following topics:

• Food insecurity (including food affordability)
• Food availability 
• Consumer concerns in relation to food
• Confidence in the food supply chain and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as a regulator

This monthly bulletin summaries the key findings for each of these topics from wave 18 of the survey (conducted 13 – 15 January 2023).

Key Findings

Food Affordability and Food Insecurity

• 15% of participants reported that they had used a food bank or food charity at least once in the last month. 
• 25% of participants reported that they had skipped a meal or cut down the size of their meals because they did not have enough money to buy food in the last month.
• 29% of participants reported feeling worried about being able to afford food in the next month.
• 81% of participants reported feeling concerned about food prices. 
• 69% of participants reported that their shopping had ‘got more expensive’ in the past week. 

Food Availability

• 30% of participants reported feeling worried about there not being enough food available for them/their household to buy in the next month.

Food Safety Behaviours to reduce energy bills

• 16% of participants turned off a fridge and/or freezer containing food 
• 24% of participants changed the settings on their fridge and/or freezer so that food is kept at a warmer temperature 
• 25% of participants lowered the cooking temperature for food 
• 27% of participants reduced the length of time that food is cooked for 
• 60% of participants used cheaper cooking methods (e.g., using a microwave, air fryer or slow cooker) instead of an oven to heat or cook food .

Concerns about the Food Industry

• 54% of participants reported feeling concerned about the healthiness of the food in their personal diet. 
• 56% of participants reported feeling concerned about animal welfare in the food industry. 
• 56% of participants reported feeling concerned about sustainability/the impact of food production on the environment. 
• 38% of participants felt concerned about the safety of food produced in the UK, compared to 50% who felt concerned about the safety of food imported from outside the UK.
• 40% of participants felt concerned about the quality of food produced in the UK, compared to 50% who felt concerned about the quality of food imported from outside the UK.

Confidence in the Food Supply Chain

The proportion of participants who reported that they were ‘confident’ in the food supply chain was 65% in January 2023. This is in line with the previous month (65%, December 2022), but is significantly lower than the year prior (70%, January 2022).

• 76% of participants felt confident that those involved in the food supply chain in the UK ensure that food is safe to eat. 
• 70% of participants felt confident that those involved in the food supply chain in the UK ensure food is of a high quality. 
• 52% of participants felt confident that those involved in the food supply chain in the UK ensure that there are affordable food options for everyone. 
• 66% felt confident that those involved in the food supply chain in the UK ensure there is enough food available for people to eat. 

Monthly data tables are available to download via the FSA’s data catalogue. Tracker bulletins dating back to April 2022 are available to view via the Consumer insights tracker webpage. More detailed commentary, and timeseries analysis is published periodically on the Consumer Insights tracker webpage.  

Genome editing, also known as gene editing, is one of the precision breeding techniques in food that may be adopted by the government after EU Exit. Therefore DEFRA have run a public consultation on genetic technologies in food (Opens in a new window).

This research by the Food Standards Agency complements the consultation by gathering evidence specifically on consumer interests. For more information about genome editing in food, view our FSA Explains video.

Key findings  

• Consumers tended to have very low awareness and very low knowledge of GE food.
• More informed consumers were, or became, more accepting of GE food.
• Consumers tended to find GE food more acceptable than GM food. However, consumers found GM or GE applied to plants more acceptable than applications to animals, for example, due to human safety and animal welfare concerns.
• Most consumers felt it would be appropriate to regulate GE foods separately from GM foods. At the same time, many felt regulation should be just as thorough as for GM.
• Most consumers felt labelling should always inform the consumer of the presence of GE ingredients using the full term ‘genome edited’.  
• Overall, consumers wanted thorough regulation and transparent labelling if GE foods reach the UK market, and they suggested social media information campaigns and TV documentaries would help educate the public on GE food. 

Download report and appendices.