The government has just released the latest update on its National Food Survey.
First established in 1940, the survey was set up to monitor what sort of food the nation was eating; who was eating it and what the health implications of this were.
For more than 70 years households have been filling out diaries of their weekly food and drink purchases to create national estimates of the types and quantities of food we buy and eat.
The latest info comes from 150,000 households who were surveyed between 1974 and 2000 plus data from other sources covering the period from 2000 to 2014.
Spending less
It’s full of great factoids. For example, a household in Glasgow in 1974 spent £9.10 one week on items such as corned meat, lambs liver and lard. A comparable household in 2000 spent £80.90 on a shopping basket of mineral water, crisps and yoghurt.
Although it looks like we’re spending more on food, as a proportion of our pay we spent 24% in 1974 compared to 11% today.
Health consciousness – improved awareness and a desire to be healthier may also have played a role, with our consumption of white bread dropping by 75% since 1974, while brown and wholemeal bread has risen by 85%.
Likewise skimmed milk overtook whole milk in the 1990s and we now drink four times as much.
Canned milk pudding?
Advance in technology have also changed our eating habits. In 1974 only 15% of households in the survey owned a freezer and where a Leicester household’s shopping list in 1974 included canned milk pudding, canned peas and potatoes, a comparable household in 2000 (when 94% of households owned a freezer) bought frozen cakes, peas and chips.
Similarly, the rise in microwave ownership has been matched with a huge increase in the number of ready meals we eat. In 1989 households were asked for the first time whether they owned a microwave, and since then the number of ready meals we buy has more than doubled.
This rise in technology correlates with a drop in households sourcing their own food. Wartime governments asked about owning poultry and access to free eggs before the question was dropped in 1991.
The 5pm Dining blog wonders if the government may have to re-introduce questions about households sourcing their own foods.
After all, foraging, tending an allotment and urban chicken-keeping are becoming increasingly hip. Or at least they are if you believe the Sunday supplements.