F&Y2 Wave 7-8 NI: Chapter 1: Food you can trust

Introduction

The FSA’s overarching mission is ‘food you can trust’. The FSA’s vision is a food system in which: food is safe; food is what it says it is; food is healthier and more sustainable.

This chapter provides an overview of respondents’ awareness of and trust in the FSA, as well as their confidence in food safety and the accuracy of information provided on food labels.

Confidence in food safety and authenticity

91% of respondents were confident (i.e. were very confident or fairly confident) that the food they buy is safe to eat, and 84% were confident that the information on food labels is accurate. ^{(footnote 1)}

Confidence in the food supply chain 

76% were confident in the food supply chain. ^{(footnote 2)} When asked how confident they were that key actors in the food supply chain ensure that the food they buy is safe to eat, respondents were more likely to report confidence in farmers (86%), shops and supermarkets (78%), than in takeaways (55%), and food delivery services such as Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats (37%) (Figure 1). ^{(footnote 3)} 

Figure 1: Confidence that food supply chain actors ensure food is safe to eat.

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Food supply chain actor	Consumers confident in food actor (%)
Food delivery services	37
Takeaways	55
Slaughterhouses and dairies	75
Restaurants	75
Food manufacturers	75
Shops and supermarkets	78
Farmers	86

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Source: Food and You 2: Wave 7

Awareness, trust and confidence in the FSA

91% of respondents had heard of the FSA.  59% reported at least some knowledge of the FSA; 8% reported that they knew a lot about the FSA and what it does, and 51% reported that they knew a little about the FSA and what it does. 35% had heard of the FSA but knew nothing about it, 3% had not heard of the FSA before being contacted to take part in the survey, and 4% had never heard of the FSA (Figure 2). ^{(footnote 4)}

Figure 2. Knowledge about the Food Standards Agency.

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Response	Percentage of respondents (%)
I've never heard of the FSA	4
I hadn't heard of the FSA until I was contacted to take part in this survey	3
I've heard of the FSA but know nothing about it	35
I know a little about the FSA and what it does	51
I know a lot about the FSA and what it does	8

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Source: Food and You 2: Wave 8

Knowledge of the FSA varied between different categories of people in the following ways:

• age group: respondents aged between 45 and 74 years (for example, 66% of those aged 45-54 years) were more likely to report knowledge of the FSA compared to the oldest respondents (for example, 47% of those aged 75+) ^{(footnote 5)}
• food hypersensitivity: respondents with a food intolerance (69%) were more likely to report knowledge of the FSA compared to those without a food hypersensitivity (58%)
• responsibility for cooking and/or shopping: respondents who were responsible for cooking (60%) and/or shopping (61%) were more likely to report knowledge of the FSA compared to respondents who do not cook (44%) and/or those who never shop (35%)
• Northern Ireland Index of multiple deprivation measure (NIMDM): respondents who lived in less deprived areas were more likely to report knowledge of the FSA compared to those who lived in more deprived areas. For example, 62% of those who lived in the least deprived area (NIMDM 5) reported knowledge of the FSA compared to 50% of those who lived in the most deprived area (NIMDM 1)

Trust in the FSA

Respondents who had at least some knowledge of the FSA were asked how much they trusted the FSA to do its job, that is to make sure food is safe and what it says it is; 77% of these respondents reported that they trusted the FSA to do this ^{(footnote 6)}.  83% were confident that the FSA (or the government agency responsible for food safety) can be relied upon to protect the public from food-related risks (such as food poisoning or allergic reactions from food), 81% were confident that the FSA is committed to communicating openly with the public about food-related risks, and 84% were confident that the FSA takes appropriate action if a food-related risk is identified. ^{(footnote 7)}