White bread is toast, but curry’s in favour... how our eating habits are changing

ONCE a staple part of Britain’s diet, it seems that white bread just doesn’t cut it any more thanks to the nation’s changing tastes.

In fact, sales have plummeted, with M&S scrapping white bread in its stores and shoppers spending £40million less on it last year.

Former favourites such as Spam, tea, fullfat milk, cabbage, faggots and cheap cuts of meat including liver and kidneys are also increasingly off the menu in many homes.

Instead, we’ve gained an appetite for pizza, pasta, frozen chips, curry, ready meals and takeaways.

The remarkable shift in the country’s eating habits comes from an official survey dating back to 1940, parts of which have been published online for the first time.

Sales of white bread slumped by 75 per cent, while offal, which includes meat such as tripe, liver and kidneys, has effectively disappeared from many dinner tables, with consumption down by 90 per cent.

White bread appears to be the victim of a health backlash, with people switching to brown bread and foreign alternatives such as naan and ciabatta. The fall in consumption equates to eating 25 slices a week in 1974 to just over six now.

Similarly, the amount of butter used is down by 71 per cent. It suffered after it was demonised by the Government, scientists and doctors for its saturated fat content and a link to heart disease.

However, the sales slide has begun to reverse as new science suggests some of the fats could actually protect the heart.

Full-fat milk has gone the same way as butter, with average consumption down by

‘Change in culture led to a food revolution’

90 per cent. By contrast, sales of semiskimmed milk, which has less fat – as well as fewer nutrients – have soared.

Even the great British cuppa is in decline, with tea consumption falling from 68g per person each week to just 25g.

With a teabag or portion of loose tea weighing around 3g, that means Britons are drinking on average just eight cups a week today, down from 23 in 1974.

The changes are revealed today in the Government’s National Food Survey.

The food and farming department, Defra, has published the findings of the study from 1974 to 2000 online for the first time.

Many of the trends have continued beyond 2000, according to other official data.

The figures come from thousands of ordinary families, who were asked to keep a food diary of what they put on the table.

Food became cheaper – a trend that continues today. Shopping for food took up just 11 per cent of household income in 2000, compared to 24 per cent in 1974.

In 1974 only 15 per cent of households owned a freezer and shopping lists included tinned milk pudding and canned peas and potatoes. By 2000, families were buying frozen chips, peas and even cakes.

Home cooks moved away from buying raw ingredients to make a meal from scratch towards processed food and takeaways. Out goes lard, lamb chops, corned beef, cucumbers, fresh tomatoes and packs of sugar, while in come skimmed milk, reduced-fat spreads, mineral water and chicken, curries, pies, pasties and puddings.

Fewer eggs are eaten in 2000, but sales of crisps and snacks are much higher. Pasta, frozen chips, honey, frozen breaded fish and yoghurt also make more of an appearance.

In 1989 households were asked for the first time whether they owned a microwave, and since then the number of ready meals we buy has more than doubled. Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: ‘Food is the heart and soul of our society and this data not only shows what we were eating 40 years ago, but how a change in culture has led to a food revolution.

‘The internet has brought quality produce to our doorsteps, pop-up restaurants are showcasing the latest trends and global cuisines are as common as fish and chips.

‘We can look beyond what, where or how previous generations were eating and pinpoint the moments that changed our habits for good.’