Four in 10 students have got food from the bins, FSA claims

In a new report released by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), university students were put under microscope when it came to food hygiene behaviours.

There are currently 2.66 million university students in the UK alone. While some university’s offer catered accommodation, many students opt for self-catered rooms, whereby a shared kitchen is usually available to prepare their meals.

The results of the study revealed that four in 10 students had said that they have got food from the bins or waste area of a supermarket or shop. Additionally, around two-thirds (65 percent) of students reported that their fridge contained food past the use-by date. 

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The FSA has said that “students are finding it difficult to maintain cleanliness in shared kitchens” and also highlighted that “many students [are] not following recommended food safety and hygiene behaviours and putting themselves at risk of food poisoning”.

What’s more, the report claimed that 44 percent of the respondents in the study were classified as food insecure, a percentage that is higher than the most recent national Food and You 2 statistic of 18 percent for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

According to the FSA, its food hygiene guidance could be beneficial to students as it is targeted specifically at students sharing kitchens and includes shared fridge best practice as well as freezing and defrosting your food.