Shoppers lack confidence when trying to shop sustainably

Shoppers don’t trust the sustainability credentials provided by the food industry, according to the EIT Food-funded TrustTracker survey.

The survey, which involved more than 19,000 people from 18 countries across Europe, revealed that many consumers do not have the confidence needed to choose from sustainable options when making food decisions.

The survey also revealed that farmers and food retailers were the most trusted, and that food retailers have become more trusted as they managed to keep up with demand from shoppers during the pandemic.

Professor Anna Macready, leader of the TrustTracker project and Professor of Consumer Behaviour and Marketing at the University of Reading said: ‘One of the most compelling findings from this new report is that we can see consumers telling us that they don’t have enough information to make sustainable choices about their grocery shopping.

‘In the UK, we now have widely adopted traffic light systems to help shoppers make quick and easy choices about health benefits of food and drink. No system exists for sustainable choices.

‘These results clearly suggest that consumers need to have clearer information about the environmental sustainability of their shopping.

‘What’s more, the range of different badges and marks for sourcing and environmental standards are often not well understood. These results clearly suggest that consumers need to have clearer information about the environmental sustainability of their shopping.”

‘Having an agreed set of information for food sustainability would give shoppers a lot more confidence that they can consider when doing their shopping. Information like food miles, average emissions and water usage would certainly make people think about the food.

‘If we’re going to take seriously the urgent action needed for climate change, giving consumers the information needed so that they can consider their own footprint is crucial.’

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