Healthy eating is a top priority for Northern Ireland consumers

The annual survey reveals that almost 9 out of 10 questioned claiming that healthy eating is important to them. (1)

Many Northern Ireland consumers say they are taking more of an active interest in their food and diet, with a significant number of people checking food labels on products they buy for the first time as well as making a conscious effort to eat more fruit and vegetables. (2)

The 2006 Northern Ireland key findings include:

• 42% of respondents find the print on labels hard to read, with almost as many (39%) finding them hard to understand. 60% would like more information on the food they buy
• Given the concern over healthy eating, it is also important to note that half (52%) agree they find it difficult to know whether a product is healthy from reading the label
• When questioned on specific food issues, 55% were concerned about the amount of salt in food, followed by 48% concerned about the amount of fat
• 88% of Northern Ireland respondents agree that budget is not a barrier to healthy eating, with 90% agreeing that parents should accept responsibility for making their children eat healthily
• Almost two thirds of parents in Northern Ireland claimed they were trying to reduce their children�s consumption of less healthy options. Half of parents are concerned about the foods aimed at children.(3)
• 72% of the Northern Ireland sample claimed that they ate a completely homemade meal on most days, which is significantly higher than the UK figure of 63%
• Awareness of the Agency�s key messages appear to be high: 80% claimed to eat breakfast daily, and 68% of respondents knew that they should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day
• Three-quarters (76%) agreed that they were really concerned about food safety and hygiene issues. Concerns about food hygiene were greatest in relation to takeaways, fast food outlets and restaurants/cafes (4)
• When asked, almost two thirds (63%) claimed to have some concerns over food safety issues and, in line with previous years, raw meat dominates concern about particular food types.

Morris McAllister Director of FSANI said; 'Clearly healthy eating is very important to Northern Ireland consumers and labelling is a key factor in understanding whether a product is healthy.

'Labelling everyday foods such as ready meals, pies and pizzas with clear and easy to understand information about fat, salt and sugar content is an important step in helping to improve diet. We�ve been working with industry to achieve this and in January this year we launched an advertising campaign to promote our front of pack traffic light labelling scheme, which makes it easier for people to make healthier food choices. Many major manufacturers and retailers are now using front of pack nutritional labelling and this is good news for consumers.

'While we have achieved a great deal in the last year our challenge is to continue to tackle key consumer concerns identified in this survey. I am particularly pleased to note that consumers rate us as an organisation they feel they can trust, an essential element for our continued success.'

Along with tracking awareness of food issues, the 2006 Consumer Attitudes Survey also highlighted rising consumer awareness in Northern Ireland of the FSA and its role in providing clear consumer advice. Key figures include:

• The Agency is seen as among the most reliable sources of information on both food safety and healthy eating (5)
• There was a significant increase in the number of respondents expressing confidence in the role played by the FSA in protecting health with regard to food safety (6)
• The level of trust in the Agency has increased significantly to 64% (7)
• The majority of consumers asked thought the Agency provided clear information and advice (8).

(1) Respondents were given a list of 13 possible concerns and asked to select their top three. 23% of respondents selected 'healthy eating' as one of their top three, which meant it was the fifth most selected response. House prices were selected by 23% of respondents, household finances by 24% of respondents, and provision of health services by 25%.

In a separate question, 89% of respondents strongly or slightly agreed with the statement 'healthy eating is important to me'

(2) 50% of respondents claim to always or usually check the labels on a product they are buying for the first time. 41% claimed to be trying to increase the amount of fresh fruit they eat, and 32% for vegetables.

(3) 54% of parents with children under 5, 51% of those with children aged 5-15 years old, chose 'foods aimed at children' as a concern when presented with a list of possible concerns.

(4) 25% of respondents said they had been concerned about hygiene in a take away/fast food outlet in the last 12 months, compared to 19% in restaurants/pubs/cafes/wine bars.

(5) 89% of those who had used the FSA for information on food safety and scares agreed the information provided was 'very' or 'fairly reliable', and 92% of those who had used the FSA for information on healthy eating said the same.

(6) 74% of respondents in 2006 felt 'very' or 'fairly' confident in the role the Agency plays in protecting public health, compared to 67% in 2005 and 50% in 2000.

(7) 64% of respondents aware of the Agency in 2006 gave a positive rating in terms of the Agency being an organisation they trust (asked on a 7 point scale where 5, 6 and 7 ratings taken as positive), compared to 54% in 2005

(8) 57% of respondents aware of the Agency in 2006 gave a positive rating in terms of the Agency giving clear information and advice (asked on a 7 point scale where 5, 6 and 7 ratings taken as positive)

This is the seventh Consumer Attitudes Survey which is conducted annually by the Food Standards Agency to provide a better understanding of attitudes, knowledge, behaviour, and awareness among the public with regards to food standards and safety.

A representative sample of 712 adults were interviewed in Northern Ireland between August and October 2006. Interviewing was conducted face-to-face using CAPI technology with the interview length lasting approximately 30 minutes.

The first study, in 2000 (published in January 2001) enabled benchmarks to be set, and each additional study allows the Agency to track changes in behaviour and attitude, and measure trends. A copy of the Northern Ireland Consumer Attitudes Survey 2006 is available at the link below.

TNS conducted 3,510 interviews among a demographically representative sample of the UK adult population.