Issues of concern to consumers
Respondents were provided with a list of food issues and asked to indicate which concern them. Food prices, food poverty and inequality and ultra-processed food continue to be the top three issues of most concern. The quality of food imported from outside of the UK was still a concern but had significantly decreased from 74% in W20 to 70% this wave.
| Issue | W21 | W20 | W19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food prices | 90% | 90% | 90% |
| Food poverty and food inequality | 79% | 80% | 80% |
| Ultra-processed, or over-processing of food | 78% | 78% | 81% |
| The safety of food imported from outside the UK | 72% | 73% | 74% |
| The quality of food imported from outside the UK | 70% | 74% | 73% |
| Genetically modified (GM) food | 70% | 73% | 70% |
| Animal welfare in the food industry | 69% | 71% | 73% |
| The 'healthiness' of people's diets in general | 69% | 71% | 75% |
| The information on food label being accurate | 55% | 56% | 59% |
| Food availability/food shortages | 55% | 56% | 58% |
| The quality of food produced in the UK | 51% | 53% | 54% |
| The safety of food produced in the UK | 48% | 51% | 52% |
Concern was high across almost all aspects among those who:
- Said they’d been worried about being able to afford food in the last year
- Know a lot/little about FSS
- Have an allergy or intolerance
Demographic differences
The older age group (65+) were the least concerned about most of the issues compared to the other age groups.
Food prices and food poverty are issues of concern across all demographic groups.
Some differences do exist across demographic groups regarding concern about food poverty. Concern was higher for women and the younger age groups.
Concern about food prices and food shortages
Levels of concern about food prices have remained the same this wave (90%) as the last three waves. Concern about food shortages has shown a declining trend over the last few waves, although still on par with results reported at the height of Covid and EU Exit.
| Wave | Food prices | Food shortages |
|---|---|---|
| Wave 21 Dec 25 | 90% | 55% |
| Wave 20 Jul 25 | 90% | 56% |
| Wave 19 Dec 24 | 90% | 58% |
| Wave 18 Jun 24 | 90% | 62% |
| Wave 17 Dec 23 | 93% | 57% |
| Wave 16 Jul 23 | 87% | 66% |
| Wave 15 Dec 22 | 88% | 72% |
| Wave 14 Jul 22 | 85% | 70% |
| Wave 13 Dec 21 | 80% | 63% |
| Wave 12 Jul 21 | 71% | 55% |
| Wave 11 Dec 20 | 69% | 57% |