Potatoes and nutrition

August 07, 2013, 1:08 PM GMT+0

Four in ten UK households have potatoes two to three times a week, and mashed is the most popular way to serve them. The majority of UK households have a recipe repertoire of six potato dishes, according to a new YouGov report.

The report, ‘Potatoes 2013’, also looks at people’s perception of their body weight, as well as how consumers evaluate food’s nutritional value.

Body weight perceptions

It finds that around six in ten adults regard themselves as slightly or very overweight, with less than two in ten classifying themselves as “very overweight”. Men are more likely to regard themselves as “slightly overweight”, rather than “very overweight”.

Five a day?

While around seven in ten ABC1 (professional class) adults either eat, or aim to eat, five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, for those in lower-income households this figure is less than six in ten.

However, a slightly higher percentage of C2Des (blue collar workers) eat more vegetables or fruit than they used to.

This pattern is also apparent between the genders, where women take a lead in succeeding or aiming to manage their five a day. Men claim to be eating more fruit and vegetables than they used to, while 16-24s struggle the most with eating five a day, with just an eighth managing to do so.

Nutritional priorities

In terms of healthy eating, the fat content in food is the major concern for most UK adults, while salt levels take second place.

While concerns about diabetes have hit the headlines, news stories tend to also link the Type 2 condition to being overweight rather than sugar consumption. However, it is interesting that sugar levels are a greater concern than calorie levels among those surveyed.

The recession has scuppered growth in the organic food market and overall less than one in ten consumers is now motivated by such products. This may be due to the higher price charged for such items and buyers being more open to lower-cost choices. Overall, those on higher incomes, in the ABC1 social grade, tend to be more actively motivated by any healthy eating or ethical concerns.

Learn more about the report

Learn more about YouGov Reports