The industry's desire to educate and attract consumers through quality and identification marques on products is falling largely on deaf ears, according to research carried out by the Institute of Grocery Distribution.
British consumers were asked whether they recognised any of nine food-related logos in a survey. Twenty-three per cent recognised none of the nine. Of the logos most relevant to fresh produce, 35 per cent had seen the Little Red Tractor, 14 per cent the Fairtrade brand and just nine per cent were aware of the Soil Association marque.
These brands though are being “used as the primary way to communicate best practice”, said James Northen, senior analyst at IGD. “Consumers can't taste the difference, they have to be told, so these are worrying results.
When asked what the top three priorities were on a shopping trip, less than five per cent picked nutritional information or organics as being on their agenda. “Issues such as Fairtrade and organic are not the nuts and bolts to consumers when shopping,” he added. “Perhaps consumers just assume when they walk into a supermarket that food safety issues have been taken care of.”
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