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Cooking and Eating Market Assessment 2003
Key Note Publications Ltd, April 2003
'Not only do we stand on the brink of an obesity epidemic that could wipe years off children's lives, but poverty still condemns thousands of children every year to a lifetime of poor health followed by early death.' These are the words of Howard Stoate (The Guardian, 27th December 2002), Labour MP for Dartmouth and Chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on primary care and public health. They could be said to sum up the direction that cooking and eating habits have taken. Modern busy lifestyles and, in many cases, higher disposable incomes mean that the nation is eating much more processed food, often high in salt, sugar and fat and low in nutritional value. According to the IGD (formerly known as the Institute of Grocery Distribution), 49% of UK consumers eat preprepared meals at least once a week while some consider that the addition of a ready-made sauce to pasta, for example, qualifies as home cooking.
The UK is indeed fortunate in that it suffers no shortage of any food, nor, in what is a global industry, does it suffer many periods when foods are `out of season'. The regularity and quality of purchases of foods other than staples is dictated, to some extent, by disposable income. While, in real terms, the cost of food has fallen in recent years, there is a much more noticeable divide between those said to be time-poor and money-rich and time-rich and money-poor. It is cheaper to eat unhealthily but, even when money is no object, consumers in the UK have come to expect cheap food. They are frequently reluctant to pay extra for quality food or to shun the products of the intensive modern industrial agriculture that is exhausting the land, and possibly jeopardising health.
Diet is not only linked to physical health but also to emotional well-being, to behaviour, concentration and performance and has implications for the provision of healthcare. The Government and health organisations are consequently keen to deliver the message that diets should be improved. For example, co-ordinators, funded by the National Lottery's New Opportunities Fund, are to be added to each of the nine Government Offices for the Regions. The co-ordinators' aim is to encourage weekly farmers' markets so that producers can sell direct to the public too, as well as encouraging the population to eat the recommended daily amount of fruit and vegetables.
Young people today risk being less healthy than those brought up during post-war rationing and relatively sedentary lifestyles have compounded the problems. Various initiatives have, therefore, been instigated in schools while the World Health Organization is calling for a ban on the advertising of certain food and drink to children and the possible implementation of tax penalties on manufacturers. Healthier eating could cut heart attacks and cancer by a third and save the NHS £2bn in treatment costs.
In 2002, in an action that may herald an encouraging shift in consumer attitudes, a case was filed against McDonald's in New York. Parents of two teenage girls alleged that the fast-food giant failed to properly disclose the ingredients of its food and that the food had led to severe health problems. The notion was greeted with some derision and the judge did, in fact, dismiss the case, saying that he was aware that finding in favour of the plaintiffs could spawn thousands of similar lawsuits against restaurants. Nevertheless, some are of the opinion that the food industry faces serious legal challenges ahead, challenges that could extend beyond fast foods to food and drink bought for preparation and consumption in the home.
In spite of all these health concerns, for most people, eating simply remains a pleasurable experience. From an early age, it is associated with security and comfort and, in later life, is an intrinsic part of social life. Fewer households may be sitting down everyday to traditional family meals, but food is still an important part of many people's lives, even if eating is done at the same time as another activity, such as travelling and working.
There has never been so much choice when it comes to eating out, ranging from exclusive restaurants serving the top of the market to fast -food chains and in-store catering. Since 2000, supply has outpaced demand so that discounting and fixed-price meals have become a feature of many high-street restaurants. There is particular potential for food concessions at airports where low-cost, no-frills air travel is a booming business, a prime example of how eating habits are tailored to changes in the way lives are lived.
With a multi-cultural population and more foreign travel, consumers have developed an adventurous palate and dishes that were first only available in ethnic communities or in city restaurants and takeaways are now widely available in the retail sector. The choice of exotic ingredients is increasingly wide in the larger supermarkets. However, ethnic specialities are an increasing cause of concern to some who believe that a growing incidence of food allergies can be partly attributed to the fact that our diet is so varied and includes exotic produce that is not natural to our immediate environment.
This report looks at how lifestyles, economic restraints and awareness of diet all affect cooking and eating habits, as well as the influence of physiological, psychological, religious, ethical and cultural issues. Exclusive research was carried out to ascertain what factors had most contributed to any change in eating habits over the past couple of years.
As in similar surveys conducted for previous Cooking and Eating Market Assessment reports, the most commonly cited factor influencing change was a greater awareness of dietary requirements and effects on health. However, the percentage in 2003 citing this had declined from the percentage citing it in the survey carried out for the 2001 report, which in turn had decreased from that carried out in 1999. This suggests that either the message regarding diet and health is not getting through or, perhaps just as likely, that many consumers are feeling overloaded with information and confused.
It is of concern to note that the percentage of those in the 25 to 34 age group showed much less interest in dietary requirements and the effect on health than in previous surveys, apparently contradicting a view that those who fuelled the 'junk' fast-food culture are now shunning it.
Good eating habits must begin in childhood, hence the growth of healthy eating programmes and nutrition classes in primary schools, and parents need to take control of children's diets rather than avoid the conflict that arises when boundaries are imposed as to what food is eaten and when.
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