.The British diet is changing; consumption of milk, fresh meat and potatoes has fallen over the past 30 years2. Meals are less bound to particular...
1.The British diet is changing; consumption of milk, fresh meat and potatoes has fallen over the past 30 years
2. Meals are less bound to particular times - people are eating when and where it is convenient
3. Consumers increasingly want their food to be healthier, more convenient and more ethical as well as to taste good
4. There is growing consumer interest in the quality of food, its provenance and its impact on ourselves and on the planet
5. However, there is a gap between what people do and what they say - positive attitudes to healthy eating and the environment seen in consumer research are not matched by spending patterns
6. The food and drink industry accounts for seven per cent of national output and provides 3.7 million jobs
7. Total spending on food is estimated to be worth £121bn a year
8. An average of £11.41 per person per week is spent on eating out
9. Pub catering accounts for nearly a quarter of the eating out market, the biggest single sector
10. Consumers are demanding a wider range of international choices when they eat out, along with more fresh, local and seasonal ingredients
11. UK spending on food has increased five-fold in 30 years while national disposable income has increased 12-fold
12. The biggest price rises since 1998 have been for lamb, some fruit and vegetables, ham, back bacon and white bread
13. Consumption of ready meals has trebled since 1997
14. There is growing enthusiasm for farmers' or street markets, organic, local and seasonal food, and assured provenance not only from Britain, but also from countries with a strong food identity such as France and Italy
15. There are 550 farmers' markets and 4,000 farm shops in the UK. Turnover from direct selling by farmers through these methods, pick-your-own and box schemes are thought to be worth £2bn per year
16. The proportion of consumers saying they would be willing to pay more for local food has increased from 14 per cent to 21 per cent in two years
17. The proportion saying they would pay more for organic food has dropped over the same period from 24 per cent to 21 per cent
18. Twenty per cent of consumers think organic food is healthier and safer
19. Forty per cent of people define 'local' as food from within a 10-mile radius of their home
20. Fifty-seven per cent of people say the main reason for buying local food is to support local businesses, while just 11 per cent say the main reason is that local food will be fresher
21. There is a resurgence of interest in seasonal food, with two-thirds of people now taking steps to buy seasonally
22. A small proportion of the UK's food comes from the developing world but the livelihoods of a large number of people are dependent on that trade
23. Consumers spend less as a proportion of their income on eating at home than they did over 40 years ago - but roughly the same on eating out
24. Climate change is expected to impact on food production in the decades ahead because of changes in temperature and rainfall and the increased frequency of severe weather events
25. After a long period of declining real prices, the prices of key agricultural commodities increased markedly in 2006-07
26. Grain stocks are at historically low levels and though farmers are expected to respond to price signals by increasing output, a period of higher average prices and greater volatility in food markets is forecast
27. The food chain contributes 18 per cent of total UK greenhouse gas emissions
28. Livestock production has a disproportionate impact on greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water pollution
29. Twenty-five per cent of greenhouse gases from livestock production is caused by 'enteric fermentation' - farting
30. Fish stocks continue to suffer from over-exploitation and poor fishing practices
31. An estimated 1.3 million tonnes of fish caught in the North East Atlantic each year are discarded for being too small or the wrong species
32. Trawling in the North Sea reduces total biomass on the seafloor by 39 per cent
33. Research on life cycle impacts of a range of food products shows that the argument that local food has less environmental impact is weak and that global sourcing can be better for some foods
34. The current costs of diet-related ill health to the NHS and society at large are probably in excess of £10bn per year
35. Treating malnutrition (mainly in the elderly) has more financial impact on society than treating obesity. Four out of 10 people over 65 admitted to hospital are already malnourished
36. However, obesity has trebled in 20 years. Nearly a quarter of adults and about 10 per cent of children are obese in England today and projections suggest it will increase in the years ahead
37. The diet of the average child in the UK is much like a typical adult's diet but proportionally higher in sugars and saturated fat. The largest single source of added sugar in the average child's diet is soft drinks
38. More than 300,000 cases of food poisoning are reported each year
39. The trend towards eating out could increase this figure because food poisoning events are commonly traced to catering establishments
40. In 2006 around 700 people died as a direct result of something they ate - this was mostly due to food poisoning, but also included up to 200 choking deaths and up to 10 deaths from allergic reactions to food
41. Campylobacter are the commonest cause of food poisoning but listeria causes the most deaths
42. A 19.2 per cent cut in food-borne diseases between 2000 and 2005 saw 1.5 million cases avoided
43. In 2006 imported foods accounted for 80 per cent of food alerts in the UK
44. 1,082 commercial consignments were rejected at UK ports on food safety grounds
45. People avoid foods because of allergies, religion, weight loss and medical reasons. People principally avoid fat, sugar and salt when concerned about their health
46. Forty per cent say they snack between meals, and of those, 41 per cent claim to snack on fresh fruit or vegetables
47. The majority of UK adults (55 per cent) feel under time pressure on a regular basis - the figure rising to nearly 70 per cent for those with families
48. Eating out of home during the week is seen as a key way to 'indulge' in food because it avoids shopping, cooking and tidying up
49. 6.5 million tonnes a year of waste - 10 per cent of all UK industrial and commercial waste - comes from the food industry
50. The main sources of waste in the food chain are food and packaging
