Key findings
Overview of findings
When prompted the majority had at least heard of FSS. Just under half of the sample had some knowledge of FSS. Trust remains high amongst those with knowledge of FSS. FSS was rated highly against all attributes.
Food prices and food poverty continue to be top of mind for consumers and this is particularly true for women, DEs and younger age groups.
The cost of living is still having some impact on consumers’ behaviour. They are still concerned about saving money where they can in relation to food purchases etc.; however, consumers are not doing these activities as often as they were in wave 18, suggesting some level of confidence in consumer spend in relation to food.
Results show indications of consumer confidence increasing; however, there are still cohorts of people who are worried about affording food and eating healthily. Lower SEG, those with children, living in the most deprived SIMD quintile and women were all more likely to experience food poverty indicators.
Consumers could be supported a lot more to make healthy eating choices. More could be done regarding promotion and educating about healthy eating. At the same time, promotions and packaging of unhealthy foods needs to be controlled to support consumers in making healthy choices.
In general, consumers agree that labels are clear and enough information is provided, although there is room to increase consumer confidence in ensuring what is in the food is clearly marked on the label, particularly for those with an allergy/intolerance and those susceptible to illness.
Confidence in the UK food supply chain has increased for safety and quality after a dip last wave. While lower levels of concern for availability of food has been sustained, over a fifth still expressed concern this wave.