The online survey, which was conducted in January 2010 and included 600 adults between the ages of 20 and 64, found 70% of national respondents believe ethically produced food is better for the environment, 60% believe it’s healthier, and 58% believe it’s safer to eat. In addition, seven out of 10 people are now willing to pay more for ethically produced foods.
“Consumers are paying more attention to ethical brand claims as a way to identify foods that are of higher quality as well as to support brands they see acting in a socially responsible way,” said Bob Kenney, Context Marketing principal.
The full report, which is available at http://www.contextmarketing.com, also found that ethical foods build brand engagement. The report states, “When consumers find ethical claims credible and relevant, they often develop a deeper emotional connection with the brand.”
In addition, for companies looking to reach out to the younger consumer base, research found that younger adults are more responsive to ethical claims, more so than the generations that came before them.
But that doesn’t mean consumers will buy based on the packaging claims alone. The research also found 76% of respondents has become skeptical about ethical food claims because they don’t always mean what they imply.
When questioned about the benefits of eating locally grown foods, 66% agreed that it was preferable, with 42% believe locally grown foods are safer to eat. But this isn’t a new discovery for some.
The eating local movement has been in place since for a number of years. In 2005, for example, Jessica Prentice, a San Francisco Bay Area chef, coined the term “locavore” during the San Francisco Bay Area World Environment Day (the word was since added to the New Oxford American Dictionary and is defined as “the practice of eating a diet consisting of food harvested within an area most commonly bound by a 100-mile radius”).
Although the term “ethical” was defined in three primary ways (90% of respondents identified the three main qualities as: 1. Protects the environment, 2. Meets high quality and safety standards, and 3. Treats farm animals humanely), it continues to be a very personal choice for each individual shopper.
