As households get ready for the festive season, the recent study conducted with 1,000 adults across Northern Ireland, sheds light on the financial impact increased food costs is having on households this Christmas.

The research was conducted by Ipsos B&A with representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 18+ in Northern Ireland. Quotas were placed on gender, age and social class with weighting applied to ensure final data was representative of these quotas.

Almost two-thirds (62%) of this year’s respondents identified the cost of food as their biggest concern as they plan this year’s Christmas dinner, and this is a notable increase compared to 55% of respondents in 2022.

Over half (54%) of local home cooks are opting to buy a turkey crown (48%) or a boned and rolled turkey (6%) and this marks a significant increase from last year’s data, where just over a quarter (26%) made the decision to make the switch.

FOOD SAFETY

The research was commissioned by safefood as part of its annual Christmas food safety campaign, as it encourages home cooks to use a meat thermometer to make sure their Christmas turkey is safely cooked through to 75 degrees celsius aimed at helping ensure everyone has a safe and tasty Christmas.

Director of Food Safety with safefood, Trish Twohig said: “Our research would suggest people are changing their choice of Christmas turkey amid rising food costs. Whatever kind of turkey you cook this year, using a meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of knowing when it’s cooked.”

“To check that it’s cooked, take it out of the oven and pop the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat between the breast and the leg; when it reads 75 degrees celsius, it’s safely cooked.

“Meat thermometers are affordable, easy to use and can be used on other meats during the year like chicken, pork, burgers and sausages to ensure they’re cooked all the way through.”

“If you don’t own a meat thermometer, that’s not a problem. To check your turkey is safely cooked, pierce the thickest part with a clean skewer or fork and check that it is piping hot, with no pink meat left and the juices run clear.”

safefood has teamed up with Noel McMeel, one of Ireland’s most celebrated chefs and talented young up-and-coming chef Sophie Smith, to launch the campaign to help take the stress out of cooking Christmas dinner.

Noel, a multi-award winning former Executive Head Chefat Lough Erne Golf Resort and Hotel in Enniskillen and now Culinary Director at the Ebrington Hotel in Derry~Londonderry, said: “A meat thermometer has been an indispensable tool in my kitchens throughout my career.

“I would encourage anyone cooking Christmas dinner this year to use a meat thermometer as it will take the guess work out of cooking your Christmas turkey to the ideal temperature of 75 degrees Celsius. This will ensure it’s not only cooked to perfection, but safe for everyone to enjoy.”

Sophie, who recently won Gold at the National Finals of the World Skills UK competition in Culinary Arts and works at A Peculiar Tea in South Belfast added: “The rising cost of food has many of my friends and family worrying about getting Christmas dinner right this year.

“However, the safefood website is a valuable resource for any home cooks. From helpful tips and practical guides to mouthwatering recipes, it provides a reassuring guide to create a memorable festive meal.”

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New safefood funded research into the cost of living with a food allergy or coeliac disease in Northern Ireland has estimated that the average cost burden for a child with a food allergy is £1,414 every year, and £1,259 for an adult.

The research  looks for the first time ever at the socio-economic cost of living with a food hypersensitivity (food allergy, food intolerance and coeliac disease) on the island of Ireland.

These costs are primarily medical costs including hospital visits and stays, as well as the cost of missed days from work, school, or college, and the cost of travel associated with medical appointments.

The research led by teams at Queens University Belfast and the Technological University Dublin also found that 43% of the adult costs (£542) were borne by the individual themselves, with the remaining 57% being shared with the health service (£717).

The out-of-pocket costs incurred by parents of food allergic children were slightly lower at 39% (£550), with 61% (£864) being shared with the health service.

Introducing the findings, Dr Gary A Kearney, Interim Chief Executive, safefood, said; “For the first time in Northern Ireland, we now have reliable and locally relevant figures for the true cost of living with a food allergy, food intolerance or coeliac disease.

“Collectively, these conditions affect at least one in ten of the population and symptoms can range from mild to life-threatening. What is clear from the research is that living with these conditions is a financial burden for individuals and their families.”

For those with coeliac disease, the associated extra costs were £1,365 a year for an adult, rising to £1,690 for a parent of a coeliac child. These costs were primarily due to medical visits but also health insurance and missed days from work, school or college.

For adults who were coeliac, 71% of the costs (£965) were incurred by the individual, with 29% (£400) shared with the health service. For parents of coeliac children, 60% (£1,011) were out-of-pocket costs with 40% (£679) shared with the health service.

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The new research by safefood has revealed that eight in ten people in Northern Ireland agree that so-called “junk” food advertising aimed at children should be banned (80.2%), while almost seven in ten (69.4%) of respondents’ support restrictions on marketing of unhealthy foods to adults.

In particular, the research demonstrated high levels of public support for government-led policies aimed at tackling childhood obesity. This included over two-thirds backing the ban of vending machines with unhealthy snacks and drinks in schools (77.8%) as well as a majority backing planning restrictions on the opening of fast-food outlets close to schools (66.5%).

Nine in ten respondents also endorsed healthy school meals (91.8% for primary schools and 90.6% for secondary schools), educating children on food prep skills at all schools (91.7%), while 85.3% believe children should receive a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise in school each day.

The research also reveals that 80% of people recognise that obesity poses a serious public health challenge. Previous safefood research² had estimated that overweight and obesity was costing Northern Ireland’s economy approximately £370m per year.

A quarter of children in Northern Ireland aged 2-15 years are reported to be overweight (20%) or obese (6%), while almost two-thirds of adults are classed as obese (27%) or overweight (38%).

The research coincided with the All-Island Obesity Action Forum hosted in Belfast by safefood in partnership with the Departments of Health in both Northern Ireland and Ireland. The event brought together leading experts from the United Kingdom and the island of Ireland to explore a range of policy approaches to address overweight and obesity, and public support for such policies.

Dr Aileen McGloin, Director of Nutrition with safefood, said: “Overweight and obesity are the most serious long-term public health issues we face and tackling them poses complex challenges for policy makers, society and the Northern Ireland economy.

“People are becoming more and more aware of these rising rates of overweight and obesity. Our research shows the public is ready for a range of policies for children and adults to address this and benefit them.

“There’s already strong work happening at a policy level in Northern Ireland. Of note is the establishment of nutritional standards in schools and social & healthcare settings; the introduction of the soft drinks industry levy and supports for breastfeeding mothers.

“By identifying those policies that have strong public backing, we can better support and empower people to make healthier food and lifestyle choices. This has the potential to create lifelong, sustainable changes which can benefit current and future generations, our society and the economy in Northern Ireland.”

The safefood research demonstrated also found that nine out of ten respondents (88.8%) supported policies requiring meals sold or provided at private and public sector workplaces to meet a healthy standard of nutrition.

Meanwhile, just under half (47.3%) think portion sizes in restaurants and fast-food outlets should be restricted as a measure to address obesity.

For more information and to download the report “Public acceptability of policies to address obesity,” visit: www.safefood.net/news.

ENDS

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The partnership will see the Irish FA and safefood expand the delivery of its football based ‘On the Ball – Healthy Know How for Active Kids’ programmes and events.

It will aim to teach the importance of healthy eating habits and being active from an early age to 3,300 children and 700 parents and carers across Northern Ireland.

As well as continuing as the Irish FA’s official safe and healthy eating partner, the extended partnership will welcome safefood as an official patron of the Education and Heritage Centre at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park. This will include free nutrition workshops for visiting schools, focusing on the benefits of healthy eating habits as part of an active lifestyle.

Speaking about the partnership, Fiona Gilligan, Director of Communications at safefood, said: “safefood is proud to continue our innovative collaboration with the Irish FA as we look to expand our ‘On the Ball – Healthy Know How for Active Kids’ programme to over 3,000 children this year.

“We will continue to use football in creative and fun ways to educate children on the importance of eating healthily and how it can help them to be more active. By nurturing children to develop these positive habits during the early stages of life we can give them building blocks towards a longer and healthier life.

“We will also be working closely with the Irish FA to integrate important messages about safe and healthy food into the National Football Stadium’s Education and Heritage Centre, which inspires future generations of young footballers.”

The ‘On the Ball – Healthy Know How for Active Kids’ programmes and events will include the rollout of a series of six-week after-school programmes across 48 primary schools, with 12 primary schools also participating in interactive community-focused festivals.

safefood and the Irish FA will use a mixture of animated presentations, player videos, interactive games and quizzes to encourage children to make healthier choices such as eating more fruit, vegetables and healthy snacks, and swapping sugary drinks for water or milk.

Workshops will also promote the importance of a good night’s sleep for their development, encourage them to be more active every day and provide tips on reducing the amount of time they spend on their screens.

Stephen Garrett, Commercial Manager at the Irish Football Association, said: “The Irish FA are delighted to extend their strategic partnership with safefood which will seek to educate children and families throughout Northern Ireland on the importance of healthy eating.  We’re particularly excited to embed this educational activity throughout the Irish FA Tours programme, via the Irish FA Education and Heritage Centre, by delivering free workshops to visiting schools throughout the year. For more information contact tours@irishfa.com or visit irishfa.com/tours.”

safefood is an all-island body with a remit of promoting the importance of good food hygiene in the family home and helping people make more informed choices about the food they eat.

For more information on safefood visit www.safefood.net/news

Caption: Pictured at the launch are (l-r) Alfie Liggett and Ella Nazik from Forge Integrated Primary School alongside NI Women’s International player Vicky Carlton.

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Food industry workshops hosted by safefood revealed that many staff working in SME food businesses don’t have a high level of food safety knowledge.

Staff also revealed that they struggle to prioritise food safety due to the competitive pressures of the food industry, coupled with small profit margins and high staff turnover.

‘Safefood for business’ is a free online training programme in basic food safety for SME food businesses across food service, catering, retail and manufacturing sectors in Northern Ireland.

The interactive training programme covers key areas of food safety training in short, practical and engaging modules using real-life scenarios and work-place scenarios.

Introducing the new eLearning tool, Ray Dolan, CEO of safefood said: “Building a culture of good food safety benefits both the public and those food businesses that supply them. There are approximately 50,000 business producing food across the island of Ireland and around 80% of these are small food producers.

“Having met many small food business owners through our Knowledge Network, we understand the pressures they face and how they have a lot on their plate, including food safety training. Our aim is to provide business owners with a free and practical food safety training tool that fits their needs.”

Susanne Taggart, owner of Dromore based and multi-award-winning artisan bakery, The Little Bakehouse NI, is a small food business owner who has used the resource.

“As a small business, we are proud to be involved in developing and refining the ‘safefood for business’ eLearning resource. We are passionate about food safety and ensuring our products are produced safely and adhere to legal requirements. When it comes to food safety, there is no room for complacency,” she said.

“Safefood for business was developed in collaboration with small food business owners, like me, to ensure the resource is relevant and informative. This fantastic e-learning resource will play a crucial role in helping address a real training gap for small and medium-sized food businesses in the provision of basic food safety training to new and existing staff. I would urge all small and medium-sized food businesses to utilise this free resource.”

Safefood for business teaches staff the importance of food safety and develop their knowledge on essential criteria such as personal hygiene, cleaning essentials, temperature control, food microbiology, allergens in food and Pest control. The training programme will allow SME food businesses to provide and track staff training on-site, awarding module completion certificates and a course completion certificate.

Dr Linda Gordon, Chief Specialist in Microbiology with safefood, said: “We designed ‘safefood for business’ to be practical for small food businesses so it uses short training modules with real-life scenarios. Because managers and small-business owners can track staff progress while training, it is ideal both for new staff as part of their induction process, as well as re-training staff returning to the industry.”

‘Safefood for business’ is available at www.safefoodforbusiness.com

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