Executive summary
The Scottish National Party has proposed the introduction of statutory price ceilings on a basket of essential food items to help address the rising cost of living. To support consideration of foods that may be appropriate for inclusion, Food Standards Scotland undertook additional analysis of 2024 Scottish Health Survey dietary data to identify commonly consumed foods within the Eatwell Guide food groups.
Consumption was assessed using several measures, including frequency of consumption, the proportion of the population consuming each food category, and average intake (g/person/day). The analysis was based on dietary data from 2,200 adults who completed at least one 24-hour dietary recall.
Key findings
- Within starchy carbohydrate foods, high fibre breakfast cereals accounted for the largest share of average intake (13.9% of total intake), while white bread was consumed by the highest proportion of the population (45.7%).
- Within vegetables and fruit, fruit accounted for the largest share of average intake (38.1%), while vegetables (not raw) were consumed by the highest proportion of the population (52.6%).
- Within protein foods, chicken and turkey dishes accounted for the largest share of average intake (30.2%) and were also consumed by the highest proportion of the population (38.8%).
- Within dairy and alternatives, semi-skimmed milk accounted for the largest share of average intake (42.8%) and was consumed by the highest proportion of the population (46.5%).
- Within oils and spreads, reduced-fat non-polyunsaturated spreads accounted for the largest share of average intake (54.7%) and were consumed by the highest proportion of the population (13.3%).
- Although excluded from the Eatwell Guide recommendations, butter was consumed by 34.8% of the population and average intake (2.9 g/person/day) exceeded that of any oils and spreads category included in the analyses.
- Frequently consumed individual foods included bananas, carrots, toast made with white bread, roast chicken, and semi-skimmed milk.
The findings provide an evidence base on the foods that make a substantial contribution to dietary intake in Scotland and may support consideration of potential items for inclusion in any future food price cap proposals, alongside other policy, nutritional and implementation considerations.