Cost pressures fuel risky food safety practices among UK consumers, warns watchdog

Food prices and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) remain the leading consumer concerns in the UK, where buyers report risky coping mechanisms to keep costs low, reveals the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) latest Consumer Insights Tracker report.

The findings show that nearly nine in ten UK adults are worried about the price of food, while over three-quarters are concerned about UPFs.

One in four respondents reported at least one cost-cutting action that may impact food safety, such as turning off fridges or reducing cooking times.

The research draws on monthly YouGov surveys of over 2,000 adults across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and covers data from April 2024 to March 2025.

“We monitor a range of money-saving behaviors related to shopping, cooking/storing and eating food, including whether people have shopped in multiple supermarkets to save money, chosen cheaper alternatives rather than branded products, or cooked/ prepared something from scratch,” an FSA spokesperson tells Food Ingredients First.

“In summary, over the past year, there has been a small decline in some of the reported shopping behaviors, but no change in most of the cooking and eating behaviors.”

Coping with costs

More concerning are energy-related food safety risks. People continued to report turning off or warming fridges and freezers, or lowering the cooking temperature for food to save energy, all of which pose food hygiene and spoilage risks.

“We continue to advise people to avoid turning off fridges to save money, as it can lead to a higher risk of becoming ill with food poisoning,” says the spokesperson.

To help food last longer safely, the FSA encourages using fridges at 5°C or below, which slows bacterial growth. Freezers should be set to -18°C for long-term storage, which delays spoilage by “pausing” bacterial activity and slowing chemical reactions.

The food safety watchdog also recommends checking “use-by” dates of food packages.

“This is the most important date to remember as it’s about safety. Food can be eaten until and on the ‘use-by’ date, but not after. Food with a ‘use-by’ date can be frozen right up to the end of the date on the label. [In contrast] ‘best before’ is about quality. The food can be safe after this date — but it might not be at its best.”

Consumer attitudes toward UPFs

The research finds that ultra-processed, or the over-processing of food, has consistently featured as the second highest consumer concern throughout the survey.

A key insight is that food ingredients and additives have been one of the top five concerns over the past year, replacing animal welfare, one of the top five concerns from July 2023 to March 2024.

When asked whether consumers distinguish between processed and UPFs and if that shapes demand, the FSA says the data have not explicitly explored this distinction.

The research finds that ultra-processed, or the over-processing of food, has consistently featured as the second highest consumer concern.“However, the independent rapid scoping review by our Advisory Committee on Social Science considers consumer understanding of UPFs. One of the conclusions is that while there is widespread awareness of UPFs as a concept, many consumers do not understand the specific nature of UPFs well and are unable to distinguish them from other levels of food processing reliably,” the spokesperson notes.

“In part, this reflects the rather complex and wide-ranging definition of UPFs, and the distinction between UPF and other forms of processing is somewhat fuzzy.”

Nonetheless, broader dietary shifts are evident.

According to the FSA’s Food and You 2: Wave 8 (2024) research, eating less processed food was the most common dietary change, reported by 43% of respondents, though this includes all processed foods, not just UPFs.

“Some 32% said they had increased their intake of fruit and vegetables. Additionally, among those who reported eating less meat, poultry, or fish (25%), 72% said they had eaten less processed meats such as chicken nuggets, ham, or bacon.”

“The most common reasons to have eaten less processed food (79%) and processed meat (71%) were for health reasons (for example, to be healthier or lose weight). Nearly two in ten ate less processed food (15%) and less processed meat (15%) for financial reasons.”

The Tracker also includes a section on consumer attitudes toward novel food production techniques, including lab-grown or cell-cultivated meat.

The data shows mixed responses, with only around a quarter of respondents saying they would try such products once they were available, while nearly 60% — mostly young people and men — say they would not include them in their diets. Around a quarter said they would be open to them.

While cultured meat products are currently not for sale for human consumption domestically, the UK became the first country in Europe to approve cell-based meat in pet food last year.