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Viewing report
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Cooking & Eating Habits Market Assessment 2009
Key Note Publications Ltd, June 2009, Pages: 138
Cooking is a lifetime skill but one that has arguably been undervalued for some years. Many of today's young adults have grown up with a reliance on convenience foods, takeaways and eating out. Working parents have less time to cook and fewer cooking skills to pass on to their offspring, and fewer families are sitting down to a home-cooked meal together. According to a study by the Future Foundation, one in eight families with children at home never sits down for a meal together. Apart from the fact that communal meals offer an opportunity to converse and learn good manners, solitary meals are often lower in nutritional value than those that are traditionally eaten together, such as the Sunday roast. Many children are growing up in complete ignorance of healthy meal planning and food preparation.
It has been accepted that the nation's poor eating habits and the resulting health problems, including the high incidence of obesity, call for drastic changes. The food industry is under intense pressure to reduce the levels of sugar, salt and fat in its products. Since September 2006, `junk' food such as crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks has been banned from school vending machines. New guidelines for school meals, stipulating vitamin, mineral and nutrient content, have been introduced; advertising of food to children has been widely banned; and the opportunity for secondary-school pupils to learn practical cookery skills has been reintroduced.
However, the results have not always been positive. There has been a significant drop in the number of children eating healthier school lunches, while plans to bring back the regular weighing of schoolchildren have raised fears that it will be psychologically damaging and will increase the risk of children developing eating disorders. Some people will inevitably resent being told what they should or should not eat, but a Health Select Committee report published in May 2004 concluded that, while the individual has ultimate responsibility for his or her own health, the Government must resist inaction caused by political anxiety over accusations of `nanny statism'.
While there is no shortage of food in the UK, debate surrounds several aspects of its production. Some argue that we should shop locally and eat only food that is in season, to avoid excess `food miles', but there is a conflicting encouragement to support free trade and the benefits this brings to producers in poor countries. Some are of the opinion that industrial-scale cultivation is the way to satisfy demand for British food throughout the year — and in fact the first salad crops to be grown in a large-scale hydroponic system have just gone on sale in Tesco. Others would argue that growing crops in a medium other than soil upsets the balance of nature.
In recent years, consumers have come to expect cheap food and many are unwilling to pay more for quality or local produce. On the other hand, more sophisticated and discerning palates have fuelled demand for ingredients and ready meals of superior standard and the past few years have seen strong demand for retailers' premium ranges, such as Tesco Finest.
As at June 2009, the UK is in the throes of recession. Household budgets are being stretched, savings are earning virtually no interest and job insecurity is rife. The discount supermarkets are winning market share from mainstream retailers and price cuts are common as suppliers struggle for their share of food expenditure. Marks & Spencer, synonymous with an upmarket food offering, has seen demand slump and has closed some of its stand-alone Simply Food stores. The food manufacturer Uniq PLC, whose principal client is Marks & Spencer, was forced to issue a profits warning in September 2008.
There remain some contradictions in the market. Some supermarkets have reported that hard-up consumers are switching from branded foods to cheaper own-label products, but ASDA reported that its sales of branded lines grew more quickly than its sales of own-label products in the last 3 months of 2008. While Marks & Spencer struggles, the upmarket Waitrose chain publicised its `best ever' Christmas trading in 2008 and the firm has opened its second convenience store, in Bristol's affluent Clifton Village. It has, however, also launched a lower-priced own brand of staple grocery items in an attempt to extend its appeal amid the general economic gloom.
This report examines how lifestyles, economic constraints, awareness of diet, lack of skills and physiological, psychological, religious, ethical and cultural issues all affect cooking and eating habits. To assist its compilation, exclusive research was carried out to ascertain the factors that are most likely to bring about changes in these habits. As in similar surveys conducted for previous editions of this report, the most commonly cited factor was a greater awareness of dietary requirements and effects on health. This suggests that being better informed does indeed persuade consumers to change their cooking and eating habits, presumably for the better.
The Government, certainly, is aiming to ensure that consumers are better informed. Supported by manufacturers, retailers, charities and other groups, it launched the Change4Life campaign in January 2009. At the launch, Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said:
'Change4Life has a critical ambition. We are trying to create a lifestyle revolution on a huge scale — something which no government has attempted before. The extent of the obesity problem demands an ambitious and innovative approach that has not been tried before. Change4Life is supportive, informative and reassuring — it's not about telling families what to do and what to eat. We want families to engage with the campaign and understand that obesity is not someone else's problem — it's all of our problem.'
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