Counting calories: how under-reporting can explain the apparent fall in calorie intake

Counting calories: how under-reporting can explain the apparent fall in calorie intake


In the UK, official statistics show a decline in calorie consumption over the past 40 years, yet the population has continued to gain weight over this period. BIT decided to look more closely at how the official statistics on calorie intake are collected. This resulted in some surprising new findings, which are set out in this report. This report concludes that it is not plausible that large falls in calorie consumption, offset by even greater falls in physical activity, have caused the rise in obesity. Instead, it proposes that the apparent fall in consumption can be explained by an increase in underreporting of calorie intake in official statistics.
Behavioural Insights Team
Report
BIT publications