The rising inflation and energy bills have taken its toll on the eating habits of people in the UK. People are eating poorly since they are unable to afford even foods for their family amidst the cost of living crisis of the UK.
UK and the cost of living crisis
The UK as well as many other countries are reeling under the burden of rising food prices and skyrocketing energy bills. There is a real and enormous cost of living crisis that has gripped the UK. People are unable to afford food for themselves and their children.
Cost of living crisis UK (Source: The Independent)The people are trying to meet ends with decreased income and rising costs of products and services. The rising inflation has badly affected the masses especially the lower and middle income groups. Many people are skipping meals or having smaller portions per meal because they are unable to afford foods. Their basic necessity of foods is unmet and this is a grave situation.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) survey
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the food safety watchdog. It carried out a survey recently to know how people are coping with the financial crisis. 40% of people surveyed had worries about how they would manage their living next month. 30% of them had skipped meals or had lesser portion of food at meal time last month. This is a precarious situation. Children are going without school lunches and the government too has stopped the free school lunch program for even those children and families who are in dire need of it.
Food and financial crisis UK (Source: Wikipedia)People are using foods past their ‘use by date’. 32% of those surveyed admitted to have consumed foods beyond the last date at least once last month. They were unable to buy more due to less money and high cost of foods. Moreover, 18% of the people had switched off their refrigerator of freezer in order to cut down on their energy bills that had become exorbitant.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) covers England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It warned that people are taking risks by these acts of turning off refrigerator and eating foods past their use by date labels.
In 2022, UK supermarkets has done away with best-before labels from many products in order to reduce food waste. Best before means the time after which food quality begins to decline. And use by date label means that foods are unsafe to eat beyond the printed date. This labeling is essential to avoid health mishaps.
What FSA says?
The FSA chief executive, Emily Miles states:
“We know many people are worried about food affordability right now and our evidence shows that people are finding ways to save money where they can.”
Cost of living crisis in the UK (Source: Glamour UK)Emily warns:
“It’s not a good idea to turn off the fridge or eat food past its use-by date as these things can lead to a higher risk of you becoming ill with food poisoning. Your fridge is a useful appliance that not only keeps your food safe but can help cut down what you end up throwing out.”
“Keeping your fridge cold enough, 5C or below, will prevent bacteria from multiplying on your food and make it last as long as it can.”
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In fact, correct storage of foods can reduce food waste and help in money saving and also healthy and adequate eating, states Jackie Bailey, the campaigns manager for Love Food Hate Waste. According to her:
“Storing our food correctly at home in the fridge or in the freezer means it stays safe and lasts longer, which helps to stop good food from going to waste, saving us money,”