In short, consumers continue to want more information from companies.
Nearly two-thirds (65%) of consumers surveyed in the most recent 2016 FoodThink study believe it’s somewhat or very important to have knowledge of food production processes and practices.
Over the past few years, and especially in recent months, a number of high-profile stories in the news have brought scrutiny to food production practices. Many food companies have responded by taking an active part in the conversation and sharing more about their specific food production practices. These efforts to be more forthright seem to have paid off. Perceived transparency of the ag community and food companies is on the rise, increasing 15 percentage points for each, since FoodThink began tracking this issue in 2012.
Consumers are beginning to rely more on those who produce their food for information about food processes and practices (page 8):
- Consumers have increasingly been turning to food companies and retailers as they’ve been sharing more information.
- 60% think farmers and ranchers are trustworthy, making them one of the most trusted sources for information on food production.
- Government organizations such as the FDA and USDA are less likely to be viewed as trustworthy than in previous years
FoodThink’s newest white paper “Evolving Trust in the Food Industry” is a comparative analysis of consumers’ changed food production perceptions since Signal Theory FoodThink’s white papers “Building Trust in What We Eat” (2012) and “Emerging Faith in Food Production” (2014).
Over the last four years, the industry has continued to offer consumers opportunities to learn more about its processes, but there is still more to be done. The white paper also highlights feasible ways that companies can continue to build consumer trust and explores the sources that consumers trust for this information.
Download the free white paper to learn how food marketers can help consumers build more trust in the food that their companies bring to the table.
- Food Production
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