Nils-Gerrit Wunsch
Research expert covering foods trends in North America, Europe, and the global food system
Get in touch with us nowConsumer concerns about food
Being able to eat healthily is on the mind of a little over 45 percent of UK consumers. This ranks somewhat low among their food-related worries. However, more concerns relate to healthy eating. Consumers were also looking out for the level of food hygiene when eating out, overall food quality, and possible food poisoning. About 55 and 47 percent of them were concerned about the amount of sugar and salt in their food, respectively. To navigate these issues, consumers often rely on food label systems. Over a quarter of UK shoppers consider “low/ no added sugar” labels when making their purchases. The recent cost-of-living crisis has added to the regular food related concerns of consumers, as about 28 percent of consumers are forced to eat less healthily to save money. More concretely, 19 percent of consumers have increased their consumption of ready meals and processed foods. Furthermore, 17 percent stated that they cook less, because of the cost of ingredients.Hyper-processed food
Recently, ultra-processed food or hyper-processed food has been a hot topic in the U.S. and the UK. Hyper-processed food products contain a high number of ingredients. They are made, including additives that are almost exclusively used in industrial-scale food production. These might encompass sweeteners, preservatives, artificial aromas, artificial colors, and others. Additionally, the food products are processed multiple times. Processes include grinding, milling, extruding, and others. Hyper-processed foods typically contain high levels of ingredients that are already viewed as undesirable by consumers, such as salt, sugar, and saturated fats. The high degree of processing allows the digestion to pick up more of these ingredients than from less processed foods. Over half of UK consumers think hyper-processed foods have a negative impact on health. UK consumers slightly overtake their U.S. peers in this opinion. Consequently, over 30 percent of them have reduced their consumption or drastically reduced their consumption of hyper-processed food products.
