Public confidence in the safety of UK food has reached a record recent high, according to new data.

94% of respondents to the Food Standards Agency’s latest consumer survey said they are confident the food they buy is safe to eat – the highest level of public confidence in food safety recorded since the FSA began its ‘Food and You 2’ research project in 2020.

Public confidence has also grown in food labelling and food supply chains; 86% of respondents said they were confident that the information on food labels is accurate, up from 81-83% in the previous three surveys. Consumer confidence in the food supply chain has risen to 77%, up from between 68-72%.

“These findings show that the public has strong confidence in food safety, which is very encouraging to see,” said FSA chief executive Katie Pettifer.

“Our job is to protect people by making sure food is safe and what it says it is, and this trust reflects the hard work across the food system. We’ll keep working closely with industry, local authorities, and wider government to maintain and strengthen this trust.”

The Food and You 2 survey measures people’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to food safety and other food topics. Research for the latest survey was conducted between October 2024 and February 2025.

Other notable findings from the latest wave include evidence of a backlash against processed foods and an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption.

Respondents were asked, from a list of options, which if any changes they had made in the previous 12 months. The most common changes were that they had eaten less processed food (47%), started eating more fruit and/or vegetables (35%) and started minimising food waste (35%). 

Around a fifth of respondents reported they had started buying food with minimal or no packaging (21%), started buying locally produced food or food that is in season (21%), and that they had eaten less meat, poultry, or fish (20%).