Reuters/Lucy Nicholson – think IN pictures @1WORLDCommunity)
SitiWanMahani - Seperti Britain terus mengalami kemerosotan dalam gaji yang sebenar, penduduk sedang beralih daripada penggunaan bahan-bahan segar dan sebaliknya beralih kepada lemak, makanan yang manis atau yang diproses, menurut kajian baru yang dikeluarkan hari ini.
Laporan, bertajuk ‘Perbelanjaan dan Kualiti Makanan Pemakanan lebih Kemelesetan Besar’ (‘Food Expenditure and Nutritional Quality over the Great Recession’) dan ‘Kerakusan di England? Perubahan jangka panjang dalam Diet,’ (‘Gluttony in England? Long-term Change in Diet,’) telah diterbitkan oleh Institut Pengajian Fiskal (IFS ). Mereka menggariskan bagaimana kenaikan kos makanan yang sihat, digabungkan dengan kadar pengangguran semakin meningkat, menolak orang ke arah penggunaan yang semakin meningkat menghasilkan tinggi lemak dan gula - walaupun penurunan agak membingungkan dalam jumlah kalori yang digunakan.
“Kami mendapati bahawa, secara purata, di beberapa langkah, kualiti pemakanan makanan dibeli menurun 2005-07 untuk 2010-12 ,” IFS dinyatakan.
Penduduk UK membelanjakan kira-kira 8.5% peratus di atas makanan pada harga sebenar daripada mereka sebelum kemelesetan. Ekonomi mula menunjukkan tanda-tanda pemulihan tetapi gaji yang sebenar kekal rendah, dengan harga masih meningkat lebih cepat daripada upah, menurut angka daripada Pejabat Statistik Kebangsaan September.
“Anggaran kami menunjukkan bahawa kalori dibeli untuk makan di luar rumah dan dalam minuman ringan, gula-gula dan makanan ringan telah meningkat untuk semua jenis rumah,” kata kajian itu.
Pada bulan Ogos, ‘House Of Common’s Perpustakaan statistik digambarkan bahawa terdapat penurunan 5.5% peratus dalam gaji yang sebenar sejak tahun 2010, yang bermaksud bahawa hanya Yunani, Portugis, dan Belanda gaji menyaksikan kemerosotan yang lebih mendalam dalam tempoh masa yang sama.
Pengguna data Indeks Harga September ini digambarkan bahawa inflasi kekal pada 2.7% peratus - angka yang sama seperti Ogos, dan mencerminkan kadar 12 bulan dari September 2012.
“Ini bermakna bahawa sekumpulan barangan dan perkhidmatan yang kos £ 100,00 pada September 2012 akan mempunyai kos £ 102,70 pada bulan September 2013,” Pejabat Statistik Kebangsaan berkata dalam satu kenyataan yang dikeluarkan di samping angka.
Walau bagaimanapun, kajian IFS mendapati bahawa “terdapat penurunan yang agak besar kalori yang dibeli,” mengenal pasti corak itu sebagai ‘Across-the-board’ untuk semua jenis isi rumah.
Keluarga dengan kanak-kanak menyaksikan peningkatan terbesar dalam pengambilan makanan yang manis, manakala generasi tua (dalam 50 + berkurungan) menunjukkan penggunaan yang lebih tinggi tinggi makanan lemak tepu.
“Pesara isi rumah, isi rumah ibu atau bapa tunggal dan isi rumah dengan anak-anak muda melihat penurunan terbesar dalam kualiti pemakanan makanan yang dibeli antara 2005-07 dan 2010-12.” Kata IFS.
Menurut 2011 data kesihatan daripada Pertubuhan bagi Kerjasama Ekonomi dan Pembangunan (OECD) yang dipetik oleh laporan itu, lebih 25% peratus daripada orang dewasa UK gemuk dan 70% peratus mempunyai berat badan berlebihan .
“Berat purata lelaki dewasa telah meningkat sebanyak 8.6 kilogram dan berat daripada wanita dewasa sebanyak 7.9 kilogram dalam tempoh yang sama [1980-2009],” kajian mendapati.
Menurut kaji selidik YouGov juga dikeluarkan pada hari Isnin, 25% peratus daripada orang-orang British yang makan daging kurang tahun ini berbanding 2012. 2% peratus berkata mereka makan lebih, manakala 17% peratus berkata mereka tidak makan apa-apa daging sama sekali.
Kerajaan Konservatif di Britain telah jatuh di bawah kritikan tajam sejak awal yang panjang di pejabat, selepas aliran langkah-langkah penjimatan telah diperkenalkan. Langkah-langkah yang luas - yang paling teruk sejak Perang DUNIA II - telah diumumkan pada Oktober 2010, pemotongan pekerjaan di sektor awam dan faedah, dan pemotongan belanjawan.
Ia muncul pada akhir Oktober bahawa lebih 5 juta orang yang dibayar kurang daripada gaji yang hidup di UK - walaupun beberapa langkah-langkah yang diambil untuk membetulkan keadaan. Kenaikan beberapa £ 400 setahun selama kira-kira 30,000 pekerja bergaji rendah telah diumumkan pada hari Isnin.
“Ini adalah satu kecemasan kira-kira lebih daripada statistik. Ia adalah mengenai orang sebenar yang bekerja keras - sepenuh masa dan sebahagian, sering dalam pelbagai pekerjaan atau kontrak - jam sifar - dan tidak dapat memenuhi keperluan,” pemimpin pembangkang Ed Miliband menulis dalam ‘Standard’ pada Petang hari Isnin.
Rakyat telah cuba untuk menangani dengan keperluan untuk menjimatkan dengan membeli makanan kurang dan memilih produk yang lebih murah, yang sering mempunyai kandungan pemakanan yang lebih rendah. Bagaimanapun, kajian itu juga mengakui bahawa mengambil Inggeris di antara 15 dan 30% peratus kurang kalori dalam jumlah daripada pada tahun 1980, dan mencadangkan bahawa kadar obesiti yang semakin meningkat boleh dikaitkan dengan gaya hidup yang lebih aktif.
UK austerity spurs switch to junk food, studies say
As Britain continues to suffer from a slump in real wages, the population is moving away from the consumption of fresh produce and is instead resorting to fatty, sugary or processed foods, according to new research released Monday.
The reports, titled ‘Food Expenditure and Nutritional Quality over the Great Recession’ and ‘Gluttony in England? Long-term Change in Diet,’ were published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). They outline how the rising costs of healthy foods, combined with rising unemployment rates, are pushing people towards the increasing consumption of produce high in fats and sugar - despite a somewhat puzzling decrease in the total number of calories being consumed.
“We find that, on average, across a number of measures, the nutritional quality of foods purchased declined from 2005-07 to 2010-12,” the IFS stated.
UK residents are spending approximately 8.5 percent less on food in real terms than they were prior to the recession. The economy is starting to display signs of recovery but real wages remain low, with prices still rising more quickly than wages, according to September figures from the Office for National Statistics.
“Our estimates suggest that calories purchased for eating outside the home and in soft drinks, confectionery and snacks have increased for all household types,” said the study.
In August, House of Commons Library statistics illustrated that there has been a 5.5 percent drop in real wages since 2010, meaning that only Greek, Portuguese, and Dutch wages saw a deeper deterioration over the same time period.
September’s Consumer Price Index data illustrated that inflation has remained at 2.7 percent – the same figure as August, and reflective of the 12 month rate from September 2012.
“This means that a basket of goods and services that cost £100.00 in September 2012 would have cost £102.70 in September 2013,” the Office of National Statistics said in a statement released alongside the figures.
However, the IFS study found that “there has been a fairly substantial decline in calories purchased,” identifying the pattern as being across-the-board for all types of households.
Families with children saw the biggest increase in consumption of sugary foods, while older generations (in the 50+ bracket) saw a higher consumption of food high in saturated fat.
“Pensioner households, single-parent households and households with young children saw the largest declines in the nutritional quality of the foods purchased between 2005–07 and 2010–12.” the IFS said.
According to 2011 health data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cited by the report, over 25 percent of UK adults are obese and 70 percent are overweight.
“The average weight of an adult male has increased by 8.6 kilograms and the weight of an adult female by 7.9 kilograms over the same period [1980-2009],” the study found.
According to a YouGov survey also released on Monday, 25 percent of British people are eating less meat this year than in 2012. Two percent said they were eating more, while 17 percent said they do not eat any meat at all.
Britain’s Conservative government has fallen under sharp criticism since the beginning of its term in office, after a stream of austerity measures were introduced. The sweeping measures – the most severe since World War II - were unveiled in October 2010, slashing public sector jobs and benefits, and cutting budgets.
It emerged towards the end of October that over five million people are paid less than the living wage in the UK – although some measures are being taken to remedy that situation. A rise of some £400 per year for around 30,000 low-paid workers was announced on Monday.
“This is an emergency about more than statistics. It is about real people who work hard - full and part time, often in multiple jobs or on zero-hours contracts - and can’t make ends meet,” opposition leader Ed Miliband wrote in the Evening Standard on Monday.
People have been attempting to cope with the need to economize by buying less food and selecting cheaper products, which often have lower nutritional content. However, the study also recognizes that the English consume between 15 and 30 percent fewer calories in total than in 1980, and suggests that increasing obesity rates could be attributed to a more sedentary lifestyle.
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