Red Tractor’s Annual Trust in Food Index finds consumers think farmers are being undercut by imports, as findings offer public perspective of future trade deals
Nine out of ten consumers want to see more food produced in the UK, while only a third say they trust food from the US and India, according to new research.
The findings, from a survey of over 2,000 adults for Red Tractor’s annual Trust in Food Index 2025, reveal public preferences at a time where trade deals top political agendas, the certification said.
It found that 94 per cent of UK consumers trust food produced in the UK, more than other countries around the world, while the trust in food from the US and India has plummeted since the last Index in 2023.
Almost 90 per cent of Brits said they trusted British farmers, followed by 88 per cent who said they trust assurance schemes.
“The world leading standards to which British farmers operate sets us apart from our international competitors,” said Red Tractor’s chair, Alistair Mackintosh.
“The UK government must value and continue to defend British food standards and our farming industry by ensuring that any imports meet the same high bar. Consumers are clear that it is important their food is produced here in the UK, and rightly expect that what they put in their shopping basket reflects British values.
Comments from shoppers gathered during the survey included ‘we don’t support our own farmers enough’; ‘farmers are being undercut by imported goods’; and ‘too many cheap imports from countries that don’t have the same safeguards for crops or animals we do here.’
The survey comes as Red Tractor celebrates its 25-year anniversary as an initiative to restore trust in British food and farming.
