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C O V I D - 1 9 I S C H A N G I N G B R I TA I N ’ S R E L AT I O N S H I P W I T H F O O D Research paints picture of a divided nation Just under 3 in 5 people (57%) say they value food more now But almost half (45%) are more worried about food than before Virtual meals, cooking from scratch, wasting less food and families eating together more are some of the positive shifts in food-related behaviours taking place in households across the country according to new research commissioned by environmental charity Hubbub. But the research also reveals many are struggling to put meals on the table and are worried about food, with increasing numbers turning to food banks for the first time. 90% of the nationally representative sample of 2,000+ UK adults surveyed* say their shopping and/ or cooking habits have changed since the Coronavirus lockdown started. What’s Cooking? 45% of respondents say they are cooking more since the restrictions were introduced to stop the spread of coronavirus. Over half (54%) of those cooking more said it was because they now have the time to cook that they didn’t before and 42% cite the need to cook from scratch more due to the sort of food they can get hold of. 44% of people are enjoying cooking more since the restrictions began although more than a quarter (26%) are finding preparing more meals everyday exhausting. Young people in particular are keen to learn to cook more, with almost half (47%) of those aged 1624 are seeing lockdown as an opportunity to improve their cooking skills, compared with a national average of 34%. 16-24s were, however more likely to find this tiring, with 40% saying they find preparing more meals everyday exhausting. Eating and Meeting More than half of people (57%) say they value food more now since the corona virus restrictions started, with 43% saying they are also enjoying their food more. 40% of those aged 16-24 have had a virtual meal over video link (Zoom, Skype, Facetime etc.) for the first time and almost half (47%) of people are enjoying spending more time eating with their family or housemates. The diet implications of lockdown may have a lass positive impact on our health. 36% admitted to comfort-eating more to deal with the anxiety or boredom (40% for 16-24-year-olds) and almost a third (31%) are not eating as much fresh fruit and veg as usual due to avoiding shops as much as possible.