You might think that, what with this whole recession thing, concerns about healthy living had somewhat fallen to the wayside. And you’d be right; a report by Which?, published earlier in the year, found that 24% of UK adults feel healthier eating is now less important, with 56% saying price has overtaken as a priority when choosing food.
The BRC are understandably unimpressed with the Which? report, as they say it pushes “the myth that fruit and vegetables are expensive”. A myth? ...Not so much.
Lets take two example meals - the first, chicken breast, new potatoes, broccoli and carrots; the second, fish fingers, chips and beans. For this comparison, I have used the shops own brands. Meal one comes out at £5.87; meal 2, £1.40…for a lot more food, incidentally. Though while the price of meal 2 is shockingly low, so is its nutritional value.
Actually, the 12th annual Top 500 Superbrands survey revealed a rise in the popularity of fast food companies, with strong YoY improvements from McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and Domino’s Pizza.
While it doesn’t make sense – £10 spent on a pizza would get you quite a lot of veg – the evidence does suggest that health is just not a top priority for people in a recession…
…Especially people in the North!
A recent report from comparison website Mysupermarket.co.uk showed that those in the North East spent the least on fruit and veg across the country – just £403, or £120 a year less than those in the South.
Interesting statistics, but its not all bad. The revolution that is the Nintendo Wii has changed our fitness routines to quite a large extent. Apparently nearly half of Sheila’s Wheels customers have a Wii Fit at home, compared to 28% with a gym membership. Bad news for the gym, but at least we’re working off those pies one way or another!
Now, 10 points if you can tell me which song the title is quoting.
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