Food Standards Agency Wales publishes Consumer Attitudes to Food survey 2003

Tuesday 24 February 2004

Ref: 2004/0465

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) today publishes the fourth Welsh survey of Consumer Attitudes to Food. The annual survey provides detailed information of consumers' knowledge, behaviour and awareness of food issues.

The 2003 survey highlights a number of trends that have emerged since 2000. These include:

A decrease in the number of consumers who claim to be concerned about food safety issues (66% in 2003 from 72% in 2000)
An increase in the number of consumers aware of the Food Standards Agency (81% in 2003 from 66% in 2000)
A significant increase in the number of consumers that believe the FSA is trustworthy (53% in 2003 from 38% in 2001*)
A significant increase in the number of consumers who correctly claimed that if the 'use by' date on a food product had passed, it was unsafe and should be thrown away (50% in 2003 from 32% in 2000)
A significant increase in the number of consumers who claimed to be aware of the 5-a-day message for fruit and vegetables (56% in 2003 from 47% in 2000).

Further findings from the Wales Consumer Attitudes to Food Survey 2003 and comparisons to the 2002 survey include:

Food labelling

75% of consumers claim to check food labels, compared to 73% in 2002. The proportion of consumers in 2003 claiming 'always' to refer to food labels (33%) was significantly higher than that observed in 2000 (26%)
As in previous years, low income groups were significantly less likely to claim they looked at labels than those in the higher income groups. Women were also significantly more likely to claim to refer to labels than men.
A significant increase in the number of consumers claiming to look for information on food labels relating to the amount of salt (up to 35% in 2003 from 28% in 2002)
A decrease in the number of consumers claiming to be concerned about the accuracy of food labelling (39% in 2003 from 43% in 2002)

Food safety

A decrease in the number of consumers that claim to be concerned with BSE (38% in 2003 compared with 42% in 2002)
Year-on-year decrease in the number of consumers who expressed concern over food safety issues (72% in 2000, 70% in 2001, 68% in 2002 down to 66% in 2003)
A significant decline in the number of consumers claimed to be concerned about healthy eating, (17% in 2003 from 29% in 2002)
Over 40% of consumers claim to be concerned with the amount of fat, salt and sugar in food and of those respondents, just over 40% claimed that it affected their eating habits 'a lot'.**

Shopping and eating habits

Most food shopping (95%) is done at supermarkets, but local shops play an important part in top-up shopping (80%)
The majority (42%) of consumers shop for food every two to three days
63% of consumers claimed to enjoy cooking and 46% of consumers claimed to prepare meals from fresh or raw ingredients at least once a day
66% of consumers claimed to sit down at least once a day for their main meal with all other household members.

Healthy eating and nutrition

36% of consumers claimed that they had changed their eating habits over the last year and were now eating more healthily, compared to 34% in 2002.
A significant increase in the number of consumers claimed to be aware of the 'at least' 5-a-day message for fruit and vegetables (up to 56% in 2003 from 48% in 2002)
Over 70% of consumers claimed they should eat more vegetables, salad and fruit
No change in the number of consumers claiming to have eaten at least 5 portions yesterday (27% in 2002 and 2003). This represents a significant decrease from 33% in 2001

Food-borne disease

There was no change in the number of consumers claiming to have experienced food-borne illness in the last 12 months (11%).
No significant change in the number attributing any food-borne illness to food consumed outside of the home (76% in 2003 from 73% in 2002)

Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Agency Wales

81% of consumers claimed they had heard of the FSA/FSA Wales (significantly up from 76% in 2002)
38% of consumers claimed that they felt the FSA/FSA Wales provided clear advice, up from 30% in 2002
Significant increase in the number of consumers who felt that the FSA/FSA Wales was trustworthy (53% in 2003 from 41% in 2002)
Significant increase in the number of consumers who claimed that the FSA/FSA Wales puts consumers first (44% in 2003 from 35% in 2002).

Notes to Editors:

The full report is attached below.

* question was not asked in 2000
** question first asked in 2003

The survey was devised to help track any changes in consumer opinions about food, since the Agency was set up in April 2000. This helps the FSA improve its knowledge and understanding of consumer views; as well as to help gauge changes of public confidence in food safety.

This is the fourth year that the Agency's Consumer Attitudes to Food Survey has been running. The FSA will be publishing a new strategic plan for 2005-2010 later this year and the questions in future surveys will be revised to reflect that plan. However, boxline measures on perceptions of the FSA will remain unchanged.

Research for the Consumer Attitudes to Food survey 2003 was carried out between 1 September and 14 October 2003 by TNS for the Food Standards Agency. A total of 716 consumer interviews took place in Wales.

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Food Standards Agency Wales publishes Consumer Attitudes to Food survey 2003

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