The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) have recently launched their annual survey.

Conducted independently by YouGov, this survey allows you to give honest feedback about your experience of how retailers are complying with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and any Code-related issues you are facing.

You can access the survey here and it should take around 10-15 minutes to complete. The closing date for responses 27 February 2022.

The GCA aim to publish the results in spring/summer 2022 via the GCA website.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have now published the Wave 3 Technical Report from the ‘Food and You 2’ survey.

This is a biennial survey using a push-to-web methodology with households selected to take part in the survey receiving a letter that invited them to complete the Food and You 2 survey online. The survey measures consumer knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to food safety and other food issues amongst adults in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Fieldwork was conducted between 28 April 2021 and 25 June 2021 and a total of 6,271 adults from 4,338 households across England, Wales and Northern Ireland completed the survey.

Topics covered in the report include:

• Food Hypersensitivities
• Food shopping
• Online Food Platforms
• Healthy Eating
• Food Concerns
• Food we can trust
• Food Security

Main findings

• Most respondents (90%) reported that they were confident that the food they buy is safe to eat
• More than 8 in 10 (83%) respondents were confident that the information on food labels is accurate
• Almost three quarters of respondents (73%) reported that they had confidence in the food supply chain
• Three quarters (75%) of respondents who had at least some knowledge of the FSA reported that they trusted the FSA to make sure ‘food is safe and what it says it is’
• Most respondents (80%) had no concerns about the food they eat, and only 20% of respondents reported that they had a concern. The most common prompted concerns, from a given list of food related issues, were related to the amount of sugar in food (63%), and food waste (61%).
• Across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, 85% of respondents were classified as food secure (72% high, 13% marginal) and 15% of respondents were classified as food insecure (9% low, 6% very low)
• Most respondents reported that they often check the use-by (84%) or best before (82%) date when they have bought food.
• Most respondents (83%) who go food shopping and take into consideration a person who has a food allergy or intolerance were confident that the information provided on food labelling allows them to identify foods that will cause a bad or unpleasant physical reaction
• Around half (52%) of respondents had ordered food or drink via on online ordering and delivery company (for example, Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats) and 30% had ordered via an online marketplace (for example Amazon, Gumtree, Etsy)
• Eating habits had changed for most respondents in the last 12 months, with only 19% of respondents indicating that there had been no change in their eating habits

You can access the full detail in the final report and technical report.

At the beginning of December, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) launched a consultation to gather views from businesses and consumers on precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) and information.

At a recent FSA led meeting, the BFFF was informed that there had been almost 2000 responses to date. Great you might think? – until you realise that the majority of those, around 87% in fact, were from the public.

The FSA is aware that precautionary allergen labels such as ‘may contain’ can be problematic for both businesses and consumers so to understand how they can improve the use of PAL most effectively for all, they really do need to hear from industry. This is your chance to have your say and put the industry perspective forward!

The consultation survey can be completed online and covers topics including:

• the provision of precautionary allergen information to consumers
• improving guidance and advice for businesses on how and when to use the labelling
• ensuring compliance with regulations
• standardising risk-analysis for allergen cross-contamination.

More detailed information can be found on the Precautionary Allergen Labelling consultation page along with a link to the consultation itself.

Note: The FSA would prefer you respond to the consultation online. However, if this is not possible, please let deniserion@bfff.co.uk know, as the BFFF have been provided with the survey in a word format document which can then be emailed to them at pal.consultation@food.gov.uk

The consultation will be open until 14^th March 2022.

 

A new Better Health marketing campaign has been launched by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to help people prevent the risks of developing serious illness and help reduce the risk of being hospitalised with Covid-19.

Working in partnership with 15 weight management and physical activity partners, the campaign will provide both free and discounted offers and the website will also signpost to local weight management support.

The new campaign highlights 6 benefits, created based on evidence cited in the government’s obesity strategy: Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives, that could have a lasting impact on a person’s health by being a healthier weight

The DHSC have also launched a new ‘scan, swipe and swap’ feature for the NHS Food Scanner App to help families maintain a healthier diet by suggesting healthier alternatives. This follows a record rise in obesity among children since the start of the pandemic.

You can read more here

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a new online forum to share knowledge and help improve practice on food safety issues.

The Food Safety Community of Practice (COP) is made up of a group of stakeholders around the globe working on food safety issues who share a concern and interest in food safety topics, and who seek to deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area.

The group is free and quick and easy to join and gives members access to monthly email updates, posts about important events in food safety and announcements about quarterly webinars with experts.

If you are interested in joining or finding out more click here.

BFFF would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Nadim and Tanya Ednan- Laperouse on receiving OBEs in recognition for their services to charity and for people with allergic disease.

Following the tragic and avoidable loss of their daughter Natasha after suffering a fatal allergic reaction to sesame seeds in a Baguette, Nadim and Tanya along with the team at Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (NARF) have campaigned tirelessly for a change in the law on how such foods should be labelled.

As a result of their efforts, Natasha’s Law came into force across the UK in October 2021, and now requires a full ingredient declaration with clear allergen labelling on every food item made on the premises and pre-packed for direct sale.

But the work does not end there. Working with some of the best scientists, NARF’s ultimate vision is to prevent and eradicate allergic disease, starting with food allergy, and to create a world that is safe for all individuals.

We are pleased to announce that NARF will be speaking at our Technical Conference on May 12^th 2022, at The British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire. Tickets will be available to purchase very soon so keep a look out on our website here and book your tickets early!