Food & Drink Safety: Winning Back Consumer Trust

Informed consumers worldwide share a common interest in seeking accurate information about food safety, expanded food choices, and a balanced diet that can maximize their potential for sustained good health. With this, product safety has become an important topic in recent years, especially for food and drink.



Report Highlights
Research in both Europe and the US shows that the majority of consumers are concerned about the safe provision of groceries. The recent spate of high profile incidents which includes contaminations, recalls and confusion over marketing claims have eroded trust in consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers and retailers. Manufacturers and retailers need to respond to consumers' increasing food sensitivity. Datamonitor research found that 44% of European consumers felt that "checking food or drinks for allergy or intolerance reasons" was either 'important' or 'very important'. A similar level of importance was also placed upon this by US respondents (43%). Overall perceptions and consumer confidence in food and drinks are shaped by the product type being purchased as well as where it was produced. With respect to socio-demographic variables women are more concerned about safety issues than their male counterparts. Food safety concerns also typically escalate with age but not with education levels.


[Studien Infos ausblenden]

DATAMONITOR VIEW 1
CATALYST 1
SUMMARY 1
ANALYSIS 2
INTRODUCTION: Food safety issues are gaining precedence 2
TREND: Consumer concerns over food and drink product safety are escalating 4
Consumer opinion research shows that food safety is increasingly important for shoppers 4
Food safety concerns are secondary to other general factors and in relation to food choice 7
Take-outs and implications: there is a clear need to restore consumer confidence over product safety 8
TREND: The allergen and intolerance food and drink market is booming as consumers act upon both perceived and actual nutritional problems 8
The issue of food allergens and intolerances has become both important and highly sensitive 8
Take-outs and implications: manufacturers and retailers need to respond to consumers' increasing food sensitivity 12
INSIGHT: Concerns over food and drink safety are broad ranging 12
There are numerous nutritional and broader safety risks associated with food and drinks 13
Europeans express worry about a broad range of food risks factors especially those out of their control 13
US consumers are also attentive to the range of factors influencing food safety perceptions 15
Take-outs and implications: manufacturers and retailers need to manage consumers' perceptions and expectations over a broad range of food and drink safety issues 17
INSIGHT: Socio-demographics influence consumer confidence in food and drink 18
Women are more concerned about safety issues than their male counterparts 18
Food and drink safety concerns typically escalate with age 19
Take-outs and implications: concerted efforts to restore consumer confidence should be targeted at older shoppers and females 20
INSIGHT: Product format and origin are important influencers in shaping consumer confidence in food and drinks 20
Consumers are most likely to express concerns over fresh food, especially meat 20
Many consumers perceive organic products as a safe and healthy way to avoid potential risks of exposure to pesticide residues in foods 21
Consumers have more confidence in food and drinks associated with particular places 23
Take-outs and implications: interest in food locality, organics and freshness will all increase as a result of more general concerns over product safety 25
INSIGHT: Reduced confidence as a result of a food safety incidents will result in boycotts, switching of brands, negative word of mouth and loss of trust 25
The impact of food safety incidents should not be underestimated 25
Food safety incidents impact US and European consumers in a similar manner 26
Reduced confidence in food and drinks negatively impacts brand trust which dampens possibilities of developing longer term relationships with consumers 27
Take-outs and implications: it is vital industry players manage food safety incidents appropriately 28
INSIGHT: Consumer confidence in product safety can be strengthened with an emphasis on certain information formats 28
Consumer groups, expert professionals and like-minded peers are the most trustworthy sources of information 28
Consumers react positively to transparency in the food supply chain 30
Take-outs and implications: consumers will respond more favorably to specific communication efforts made by manufacturers and retailers 31
ACTIONS 32
ACTION: Leverage the product attributes and communication cues that consumers perceive to be most trustworthy 32
Communicate the advantage of existing, established brands over new products 32
Build relationships with the 'expert community' 33
Be wary of the negative effects of celebrity endorsements 33
Make product quality a key brand value to build confidence in products 34
Communicate ethical and environmental credentials but make it the secondary part of any message 35
ACTION: Make transparency and traceability core features of supply chain and marketing communications development 37
Transparency and traceability initiatives need to focus on four areas 37
Make concerted efforts at the industry level 37
Be pro-actively open about the communication of a wide range of trust issues through traceability initiatives 38
Primarily target female and more mature consumers with confidence enhancing messages 39
ACTION: Avoid making product safety the central theme of marketing communications 39
APPENDIX 41
Definitions 41
Methodology 41
References/ Further reading 41
Ask the analyst 43
Datamonitor consulting 43
Disclaimer 43

[Inhaltsverzeichnis ausblenden]

Table 1: Consumer survey: Response by country to the question: "How important is checking food or drink for allergy or intolerance reasons", 2006 10
Table 2: Market value (US$m) for the allergen and intolerance food market, 2001-2011 11
Table 3: Market value (US$m) for the allergen and intolerance drink market, 2001-2011 12
Table 4: Consumer survey: the percentage of European consumers who are worried about various risks associated with food and drinks, by country, 2005 15
Table 5: Consumer survey: a snapshot of US consumers' food safety concerns 16
Table 6: Consumer survey: US consumer concern for cleanliness, quality and safety, by age and gender 19
Table 7: Consumer survey: the top two reasons for US shoppers buying organic food, by age 22
Table 8: Consumer survey: Europeans views on whether EU produced food is safer than elsewhere 24
Table 9: Consumer survey: Europeans' reaction to hearing about a food being unsafe or bad for health 26
Table 10: Consumer survey: European and US consumer responses when they lose trust in a company 27
Table 11: Consumer survey: level of trust among Europeans towards various information sources in the wake of a serious food risk 29
Table 12: Consumer survey: the perceived credibility among Europeans and Americans of various sources of information, by region, 2006 30
Table 13: Consumer and industry opinion survey: the influence of various factors on (re)gaining consumer trust 33


Figure 1: There is a trust void between business and global consumers 3
Figure 2: Public opinion in the EU is divided on whether or not they are better off now in terms of food safety 6
Figure 3: Europeans are skeptical about the enforcement of food safety laws 6
Figure 4: Food safety is not a top-of-mind factor influencing food consumption or a top-of-mind concern compared to other lifestyle worries 7
Figure 5: Marked differences characterize food allergens and intolerances 9
Figure 6: Italians are the most concerned about food & drink allergen and intolerances 10
Figure 7: The numerous risks associated with food and drinks can be split into two categories 13
Figure 8: More than three-quarters of Europeans are "very worried" or "a bit worried" about potential risks related to food 14
Figure 9: The majority of US and European consumers place importance on reducing processed food consumption 21
Figure 10: The high importance that consumers place upon organic food and drinks is influenced by food safety concerns, especially the desire to avoid free of pesticides and preservatives 22
Figure 11: Ethnocentrism - among other things - contributes to a distrust towards 'foreign' companies 24
Figure 12: Gaining a reputation for the provision of good quality products is a hugely influential factor in gaining trust 34
Figure 13: Product quality - which is merely one of five factors affecting overall perceptions of premium status - can be categorized by four attribute groupings 35
Figure 14: Social responsibility can help to build trust with consumers 36
Figure 15: Ethical consumerism is becoming more complex and sophisticated over time 36
Figure 16: There are four core determinants of consumer trust in food and drink safety 37
Figure 17: Traceability initiatives effectively support the overall branding efforts of food and drinks 39
Figure 18: Safety/ risk considerations are secondary to a number of other important needs associated with food and drink consumption 40

[Tabellenverzeichnis ausblenden]