FY2 Wave 3-4 NI: Chapter 1: Food you can trust

In line with the FSA’s 2022-2027 Strategy, future reports will also consider food being healthier and more sustainable within this chapter.

Question: How confident are you that… A) the food you buy is safe to eat. B) the information on food labels is accurate (for example, ingredients, nutritional information, country of origin). Responses: Very confident, Fairly confident, Not very confident, Not at all confident, It varies, Don’t know. Base is 1263, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ paper questionnaire in Northern Ireland. Wave 4.
[7] 

Question: How confident are you in the food supply chain? That is all the processes involved in bringing food to your table. Responses: Very confident, Fairly confident, Not very confident, Not at all confident, It varies, Don’t know. Base is 1263, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating at Home’ paper questionnaire in Northern Ireland. Wave 4.

Question: How confident are you that... A) Farmers, B) Slaughterhouses and dairies, C) Food manufacturers for example, factories, D) Shops and supermarkets, E) Restaurants, F) Takeaways, G) Food delivery services for example, Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats…in the UK (and Ireland) ensure the food you buy is safe to eat. Responses: Very confident, Fairly confident, Not very confident, Not at all confident, It varies, Don’t know. Base is 1329, all online respondents and all those who completed the ‘Eating Out’ paper questionnaire in Northern Ireland. Wave 4.
 

Question: Which of the following, if any, have you heard of? Please select all that apply. Response: Food Standards Agency (FSA), (England) Public Health England (PHE), (England) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), (England) Environment Agency, (England and Wales) Health and Safety Executive (HSE), (Wales) Public Health Wales (PHW), (Wales) Natural Resources Wales, (NI) Public Health Agency (PHA), (NI) Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), (NI) Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI), (NI) Safefood. Base is 1017, all online respondents in Northern Ireland. Wave 4. Please note: All consumers taking part in the survey had received an invitation to take part in the survey from Ipsos which mentioned the FSA. An absence of response indicates the organisation had not been heard of by the respondent or a non-response.

Question: How much, if anything, do you know about the Food Standards Agency, also known as the FSA? Response: I know a lot about the FSA and what it does, I know a little about the FSA and what it does, I've heard of the FSA but know nothing about it, I hadn't heard of the FSA until I was contacted to take part in this survey, I've never heard of the FSA. Base is 1575, all respondents in Northern Ireland. Wave 4. Please note: All consumers taking part in the survey had received an invitation to take part in the survey which mentioned the FSA.

Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure (NIMDM) is the official measure of relative deprivation of a geographical area. NIMDM is a multidimensional calculation which is intended to represent the living conditions in the area, including income, employment, health, education, access to services, housing, community safety and physical environment.

Question: How much do you trust or distrust the Food Standards Agency to do its job? That is to make sure that food is safe and what it says it is. Responses: I trust it a lot, I trust it, I neither trust nor distrust it, I distrust it, I distrust it a lot, Don’t know. Base is 959, all respondents who know a lot or a little about the FSA and what it does in Northern Ireland except where England, Wales and NI differences are stated. Wave 4. Please note: ‘I trust it a lot’ and ‘I trust it’ referred to as trust.

Question: How confident are you that the Food Standards Agency / the government agency responsible for food safety in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...A) Can be relied upon to protect the public from food-related risks (such as food poisoning or allergic reactions from food). B) Is committed to communicating openly with the public about food-related risks. C) Takes appropriate action if a food related risk is identified? Responses: Very confident, Fairly confident, Not very confident, Not at all confident, Don’t know. Base is 1575, all respondents in Northern Ireland. Wave 4. Please note: ‘Very confident’ and ‘Fairly confident’ referred to as confident. Respondents with little or no knowledge of the FSA were asked about ‘the government agency responsible for food safety’, those with at least some knowledge of the FSA were asked about the FSA.