Healthy eating is now a top priority for consumers, according to a study published last week by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which reveals that shoppers regularly check labels for nutritional information and are becoming increasingly aware of 5 A DAY messages.
The seventh English Regions Consumer Attitudes to Food survey shows a significant increase in the number of consumers who are aware of the need to eat five portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables per day, with consumers across regions outside London much more likely to claim to have a greater knowledge of 5 A DAY.
Almost half of UK consumers claim to be trying to increase their fresh fruit consumption, and almost two fifths of respondents were trying to up their vegetable intake. Those polled in London and the south-west were more likely to try and eat more fresh produce.
Nationwide, the amount of salt, fat and sugar present in food is still a major issue for consumers, and just over half of consumers said they usually or always looked at food labels when purchasing a product for the first time.
Gill Fine, director of Consumer Choice and Dietary Health at the FSA, said: The number of people who say they are trying to eat more fruit and vegetables and are checking nutritional information labels has shown a marked increase since the agency first began these surveys in 2000.”
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