Do consumers care?
Sustainability may be big news in the food industry, but when it comes to purchasing decisions, do consumers really care? Not according to new research from the European Food Information Council (EUFIC).
More than 4,000 consumers from six European countries – UK, Spain, France, Germany, Poland and Sweden – were asked about their understanding of sustainability issues, which included how familiar they were with ethical labels.
The researchers found there was a generally high level of concern about issues including child labour, deforestation, malnutrition, animal welfare, pesticide use, environmental damage and food waste. However, the concept of sustainability was more difficult to grasp and therefore lacked relevance for consumers, the researchers found.
The study was published in the journal Food Policy.
