Consumers want more information about their food

According to Trace One, a Boston-based provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions and transparency software for retailers and suppliers, an overwhelming majority of surveyed consumers (91 percent) said it's important to them to know the origin of their food, and nearly two-thirds said they feel that consumers do not have enough information about their food. Less than 7 percent wholeheartedly trust the quality and safety of the food they consume.

The findings came out of the company's “Consumer Food Safety and Quality” research in the United States and the UK. Trace One conducted the proprietary research in May by surveying more than 1,100 consumers.

The company said its research examined perceptions about food safety and quality, as well as consumer store brand purchasing behaviors. The study also revealed that only 7 percent of respondents opt not to buy store brands at all. Of that 7 percent, 36 percent named lower food quality and safety as the deciding factor. Additionally, the majority of respondents said they feel that food manufacturers or retailers are responsible for store brand food quality and safety. In the United States, consumers put slightly more onus on the manufacturers (62 percent) and the government (16 percent), while in the UK, 52 percent said manufacturers, 37 percent said retailers and 11 percent said the government, Trace One stated.

“Consumers are demanding more information about the food products they purchase, but it’s clear that they still don’t trust the brands they buy from as much as they should,” said Chris Morrison, chief marketing officer, Trace One. “Retailers need to validate their product ingredients and the origins of those ingredients, and consistently communicate that information throughout the supply chain and with consumers. If brands want shoppers to trust their products more, those brand owners must be armed with accurate and reliable product information that enables brand transparency and ultimately builds consumer confidence and trust.”

Trace One data revealed that the vast majority of consumers (93 percent) report purchasing store brand products, with 80 percent of these consumers citing lower cost as the reason. It also found that 14 percent of store brand purchasers opt for “premium” store brands over “regular” store brands. Moreover, consumers with higher household incomes report buying store brand products more frequently than those with lower household incomes. In fact, nearly 83 percent of U.S. respondents who have a household income of more than $100,000 reported that they buy store brands, and of this group, 21 percent report buying premium store brands.