National Food Survey
The National Food Survey (NFS) is the longest-running
continuous survey of household food consumption and expenditure in the world.
It was originally set up in 1940 by the then Ministry of Food to monitor the
adequacy of the diet of urban 'working class' households in wartime, but it
was extended in 1950 to become representative of households throughout Great
Britain. It provides a wealth of information which has made a major contribution
to the study of the changing patterns of household food consumption. In 1996
the survey was extended to cover Northern Ireland thus allowing results for
the United Kingdom to be presented for the first time.
Each year about 8,000 households take part in the survey. The household member
who does most of the food shopping is asked some questions about the household
and its food purchasing. They are then asked to keep a diary for seven days,
recording food coming into the household, including quantities and expenditure
and some detail of the household meals (including snacks and picnics prepared
from household supplies).
The last wave of the NFS was conducted in 2000. From 2001, the NFS has been
replaced by the Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS).
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