Food and You 2 - Wave 3

Introduction

Food and You 2 is a biannual survey which measures self-reported consumer knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to food safety and other food issues amongst adults in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The survey is primarily carried out online using a methodology known as ‘push-to-web’.

Fieldwork was conducted between 28 April 2021 and 25 June 2021. A total of 6,271 adults from 4,338 households across England, Wales and Northern Ireland completed the survey.

Topics covered in the Food and You 2: Wave 3 Key Findings report include:

• Confidence in food safety, authenticity and the food supply chain  
• Concerns about food  
• Food security
• Food shopping and labelling 
• Online platforms 
• Food-related behaviours and eating habits 

Main findings

Key findings from the Food and You 2: Wave 3 report:

• Most respondents (90%) reported that they were confident that the food they buy is safe to eat
• More than 8 in 10 (83%) respondents were confident that the information on food labels is accurate
• Almost three quarters of respondents (73%) reported that they had confidence in the food supply chain
• Three quarters (75%) of respondents who had at least some knowledge of the FSA reported that they trusted the FSA to make sure ‘food is safe and what it says it is’
• Most respondents (80%) had no concerns about the food they eat, and only 20% of respondents reported that they had a concern. The most common prompted concerns, from a given list of food related issues, were related to the amount of sugar in food (63%), and food waste (61%).
• Across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, 85% of respondents were classified as food secure (72% high, 13% marginal) and 15% of respondents were classified as food insecure (9% low, 6% very low)
• Most respondents reported that they often check the use-by (84%) or best before (82%) date when they have bought food.
• Most respondents (83%) who go food shopping and take into consideration a person who has a food allergy or intolerance were confident that the information provided on food labelling allows them to identify foods that will cause a bad or unpleasant physical reaction
• Around half (52%) of respondents had ordered food or drink via on online ordering and delivery company (for example, Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats) and 30% had ordered via an online marketplace (for example Amazon, Gumtree, Etsy)
• Eating habits had changed for most respondents in the last 12 months, with only 19% of respondents indicating that there had been no change in their eating habits

Research reports

Data tables

The results tables for the Wave 3 report are available in our data catalogue.