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Food and You 2: Northern Ireland Wave 5-6 Key Findings

F&Y2 Wave 5-6 NI: Chapter 2: Concerns about food

Northern Ireland specific

This chapter provides an overview of respondents’ concerns about food.

Last updated: 30 November 2023
Last updated: 30 November 2023

Introduction

The FSA’s role, set out in law, is to safeguard public health and protect the interests of consumers in relation to food. In Northern Ireland, the FSA is also responsible for nutrition policy. The FSA uses the Food and You 2 survey to monitor consumers’ concerns about food issues, such as food safety, nutrition, and environmental issues. This chapter provides an overview of respondents’ concerns about food.    

Common concerns

Respondents were asked to report whether they had any concerns about the food they eat. Most respondents (81%) had no concerns about the food they eat, and 19% of respondents reported that they had a concern (footnote 1).

Figure 3. Ten most common prompted food-related concerns.

A bar chart showing the ten most common prompted food-related concerns.
Type of concern Percentage of respondents (%)
Food hygiene when eating out 44
The amount of food packaging 45
Being able to eat healthily 46
The amount of fat in food 46
Food poisoning 49
The amount of salt in food 51
The amount of sugar in food 52
Food waste 56
The quality of food 59
Food prices 69

Download this chart

Source: Food and You 2: Wave 6

Respondents were asked to indicate if they had concerns about a number of food-related issues, from a list of options. The most common concerns related to food prices (69%), the quality of food (59%) and food waste (56%). Around half of respondents were concerned about the amount of sugar in food (52%), and the amount of salt in food (51%) (Figure 3) (footnote 2).

Food concerns differed between different groups of people:

  • age group: Respondents aged over 55 were more likely to be concerned about the quality of food than younger adults. For example, 70% of those aged 55-64 years reported being concerned about the quality of food compared to 50% of those aged 25-34 years.
  • food security: Those with high food security were more likely to be concerned about the amount of sugar (58%), the amount of salt (58%) and the amount of fat (52%) in food than those with very low food security (37%, 39%, and 34% respectively).

Figure 4. Level of concern about food-related topics.

A bar chart showing whether respondents are highly or somewhat concerned about the ten most common promoted food-related topics.
Food-related topic Not at all concerned Not very concerned Somewhat concerned Highly concerned
Food produced in the UK and Ireland being what it says it is 14 39 28 14
Food produced in the UK and Ireland being safe and hygienic 13 35 30 18
The availability of a wide variety of food 10 33 36 16
Food being produced sustainably 6 24 43 21
Genetically modified (GM) food 6 20 35 30
Animal welfare in the food production process 6 21 38 29
Food produced outside the UK and Ireland being what it says it is 4 22 42 26
Food from outside the UK and Ireland being safe and hygienic 4 20 43 28
Ingredients and additives in food 3 20 45 28
Affordability of food 1 8 37 51

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Source: Food and You 2: Wave 6 

Respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they were concerned about a number of specific food-related issues. Respondents were most likely to report a high level of concern about the affordability of food (51%), and genetically modified (GM) food (30%). Around 3 in 10 respondents reported a high level of concern around animal welfare in the food production process (29%), ingredients and additives in food (28%) and food produced outside the UK and Ireland being safe and hygienic (28%) (Figure 4) (footnote 3).