Food and You Survey, 2012

<p>The <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and You Surveys</span> (2010-2018), and <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and You 2</span> (2020- ) are bi-annual, cross-sectional surveys of adults aged 16 years and over living in England, Wales and Northern Ireland,  commissioned by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and You</span> provides data about the prevalence of different attitudes, reported behaviour and knowledge about ways in which food is purchased, stored, prepared and eaten.</p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Food and You, 2010-2018</span><br>From 2010, <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and You</span> became the FSA’s flagship social survey. In addition, the FSA conducted regular tracking surveys including the bi-annual Public Attitudes Tracker and the annual Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) Consumer Attitudes Tracker (these studies are not held at UKDS). From Wave 4, <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and You</span> included new questions to cover the affordability of food, choice, security and sustainability.</p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Food and You 2, 2020-</span><br>In 2018, the FSA’s Advisory Committee for Social Science (ACSS) recommended that Food and You and the Public Attitudes Tracker be replaced with a new ‘push-to-web’ survey, <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and You 2</span>, which was commissioned in 2019 with data collection commencing in July 2020. Due to differences in the survey methodologies, comparisons cannot be made between the earlier <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and You</span> surveys, or the Public Attitudes Tracker, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and You 2</span>. Therefore <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and You 2</span>, 2020 is the start of a new data time series. Data will be collected through Food and You 2 on a bi-annual basis. Unlike the previous surveys, as well as the standard End User Licence (EUL) study for <span style="font-style: italic;">Food and You 2</span> the UKDS also holds additional variables under Special Licence (see SN 8815).</p><p> Further information may be found on the FSA's <a title="Food and You Survey" href="https://www.food.gov.uk/research/food-and-you">Food and You Survey</a> webpage.<br>
</p> The objectives of the <i>Food and You Survey, 2012</i> were to collect quantitative information to enable the FSA to: explore public understanding of, and engagement with, the Agency’s aim of improving food safety; assess public attitudes to new developments, such as emerging food technologies; assess knowledge of, and response to, messages and interventions aimed at raising awareness and changing behaviour; identify specific target groups for future interventions (e.g. those most at risk or those among whom FSA policies and initiatives are likely to have the greatest impact); monitor changes over time (compared with data from Wave 1 or from other sources) in attitudes and behaviour; broaden the evidence base and develop indicators to assess progress in fulfilling the Agency’s strategic plans, aims and targets.