Consumers are increasingly trusting food companies as they begin to perceive them as transparent as more companies explain how they source and make products, according to a survey of more than 2,000 adults nationwide conducted by Sullivan Higdon & Sink and reported in Food Navigator.
Since 2012, the percentage of consumers who trust food companies as transparent about how food is produced has climbed 15 percentage points from 19 percent to 34 percent in 2016, the survey found. Sullivan Higdon & Sink, an advertising and marketing agency, attributes this change to industry-wide initiatives to educate the public. However, that messaging is not reaching all types of consumers, particularly baby boomers. The survey found that only 28 percent of baby boomers agree food companies are transparent about how food is produced.
On the other hand, the survey found that 43 percent of millennials and 42 percent of parents said food companies are transparent about production. However, progress is still slow as nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said they want to know even more about how food is produced.
Organic shoppers, moms, dads and those who describe themselves as good cooks are more likely to think it is important to understand how food is produced, the survey found. These groups are more likely to already have good knowledge about food production. The survey found that organic shoppers and good cooks independently from each other are 37 percent more likely than the average consumers to claim to have good knowledge about food production.
How best for food companies to communicate with consumers is evolving as their level of trust in different sources of information is shifting, Sullivan Higdon & Sink said. The survey revealed the percentage of consumers who find food manufacturers “very or somewhat trustworthy” climbed 17 percent to 34 percent from 17 percent in 2012. During that same period, trust in grocers and retailers climbed 4 percent and 15 percent for bloggers and social media.
Friends and family remain the most trusted sources at 68 percent for information on food production; farmers and ranchers at 60 percent, and the medical community at 54 percent, the survey found. Trust in food production information from the Food and Drug Administration fell 7 percentage points to 50 percent. Trust in the U.S. Department of Agriculture feel 7 percentage points to 52 percent.
The most important attributes or claims that consumers consider when purchasing food includes fresh, which 69 percent of consumers noted; natural flavors (46 percent); high in vitamins and minerals (43 percent); no hormones (42 percent), and no antibiotics (42 percent), the survey found.
The least frequently cited claims were gluten-free (20 percent); organic (25 percent), low-calorie (27 percent); low-fat (30 percent), and locally made or sourced (30 percent)
Given the dramatic increase in trust of bloggers, Sullivan Higdon & Sink suggests food companies “leverage the power of content” on blogs by using them “as a tool to provide food production knowledge and information to consumers.” The marketing and advertising agency also recommended that retailers build relationships directly with shoppers “by becoming a well of information on related topics and beyond.”
