The Cost-Of-Living Crisis Is Making People Take Serious Risks With Food

In the midst of the UK’s current cost-of-living crisis, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned consumers against eating food past its use-by date and switching off their fridge or freezer to save money.

The food safety watchdog (whose remit covers England, Northern Ireland and Wales) has discovered Britons are taking more risks due to rapidly-snowballing financial pressures.

A survey found 32% of people had eaten food past its use-by date at least once in the past month because they could not afford to buy more, while 18% had turned off a fridge or freezer to save money as energy costs rise.

Similarly, almost half of those surveyed (40%) said they were worried about being able to afford food in the next month, while 30% said they’d skipped a meal or cut down the size of their meals over the past month because they didn’t have enough money to buy food.

Earlier in the year a number of UK supermarkets removed the more lenient ‘best-before’ labels from many food items in an effort to reduce waste, but the FSA says ‘use-by’ dates should still be adhered to.

Traditionally, ‘best-before’ dates mark the moment when the quality of a product will begin to decline, while ‘use-by’ dates mark the point after which it could be unsafe to eat something.

“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,” says FSA chief executive Emily Miles.

“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.”

On the FSA website, the group also advises consumers who may want to freeze items for longer-term storage to only do so before the use-by date, and with the temperature set at -18°C.

This temperature delays chemical reactions within foods and puts bacteria “on pause”, allowing it to be kept for longer (and, in turn, keeping a few more pounds in your pocket).