FSA shares latest findings on consumer food safety practices
A survey provided insights into people’s approach to food safety at home, when dining out and when ordering online.
Food and You 2 is a survey commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). It measures consumers’ self-reported knowledge, attitudes and behavior on food safety and other issues in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A total of 6,770 adults from 4,727 households participated between April and July 2022.
“Food and You 2 provides the FSA and the rest of the government with robust data on what people think and do about food. We see a high level of concern about food prices and people changing their eating habits for financial reasons,” said Emily Miles, Chief Executive of the FSA.
More than 90 percent of those surveyed were convinced that the food they buy is safe.
Eighty percent were confident that the FSA, the government agency responsible for food safety, can be counted on to protect the public from risks such as food poisoning or allergic reactions.
The same crowd had no concerns about the food they eat. The main concerns related to food production methods and food safety and hygiene, while 11 percent cited food contamination.
According to one list, food prices were the top concern, with food hygiene when ordering from takeaways and eating out, and food poisoning also made the top 10. Around a third were concerned that food from outside the UK was safe and hygienic.
Food safety in the home
Two-thirds of respondents identified the use-by date as the information that shows food is no longer safe to eat, and almost the same number said they always check this date before cooking or preparing food.
Most respondents would not eat shellfish or other fish past the expiration date. For raw meat and smoked fish, this was about half. If food is consumed beyond the best before date, this is usually one to two days after. Of certain foods, people are most likely to eat pre-packaged lettuce and cheese past the use-by date.
Most respondents do not always follow the instructions on the packaging that food is eaten within a few days of opening. The majority said they never consumed raw oysters or raw milk.
People were more likely to say they wash fish or seafood and raw chicken before cooking, at least occasionally, than lamb, beef, or pork and raw duck, goose, or turkey. The FSA is telling people not to wash raw meat as it can spread bacteria.
Half of those surveyed said they always wash their hands before eating, and three-quarters said they always wash their hands before preparing or cooking food.
Six out of ten knew the fridge temperature should be between 0 and 5 degrees C (32 to 41 degrees F). A fifth said it should be above 5 degrees C and 18 percent didn’t know.
Less than half of respondents thaw meat or fish at room temperature, a practice that is not recommended.
The main way to check if food was done when reheated was to see if the center was hot, and the least common method was to use a thermometer or probe.
Ordering food online
Eating habits had changed for most respondents in the last 12 months, mainly for financial reasons, but some also cited reasons related to food safety and to avoid food poisoning.
More than half of the respondents had ordered food or drink from a restaurant, takeaway or coffee shop website or from an online ordering and delivery company such as Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats.
About a quarter had ordered through an online marketplace like Amazon, Gumtree or Etsy and about 1 in 10 had a food sharing app like Olio or Too Good to Go or social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Co Next Door. Most people ordered groceries two to three times a month or less from any type of platform.
Ready meals or snacks, as well as baked goods and desserts, were the products most commonly purchased through online ordering and delivery companies; Restaurants, takeaway or coffee shop sites, food sharing apps and social media. However, sweets and chocolate, as well as packaged goods, topped the list in online marketplaces.
Of those who had heard of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS), nearly half always or most of the time checked the results when ordering. Most people said reviews are easy to find online either often or about half the time.
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