Young shoppers are so worried that cheap supermarket chicken is unsafe that more than half say they are prepared to pay extra to get better protection against food poisoning bugs like campylobacter.

In an exclusive poll for The Grocer, conducted by Harris Interactive, nearly a third (26%) of 16 to 24 year olds agreed with the statement ‘I worry the chicken I buy might be too cheap and therefore a bit risky’, with 19% of 25 to 34-year-olds also agreeing. By contrast, just 7% of over-55s had the same concerns.

These concerns are reflected in shoppers’ willingness to pay extra for enhanced safety. In the survey, 51% of 16 to 24-year-olds and 44% of 25 to 35-year-olds said they would be prepared to pay more for fresh chicken ‘if that meant it was less likely to cause food poisoning through campylobacter’.

Across all age groups, the figure was 30%, with just 20% of those aged 55+ prepared to pay extra.

Campylobacter is a complex problem, and there is no evidence that chicken sold at low prices is any more likely to be contaminated than more expensive birds.

Industry has been trialling a number of interventions to reduce campylobacter rates, including rapid surface chilling and Sonosteam technology.

Most experts agree widespread use of these across the industry is likely to push up the retail price of chicken. ACT Board chair Richard MacDonald said there would need to be “significant discussions” around cost implications. “None of these interventions are cheap.”

Faccenda MD Andy Dawkins said early trials of Sonosteam suggested it could have a “significant impact” on campylobacter, but it would add an estimated 1p to running costs per bird.

In The Grocer poll, 16% of 16 to 24 year olds said they would be prepared to pay up to 15% more for fresh chicken, with 14% prepared to pay up to 25% more. Ten percent of 25 to 34 year olds are willing to pay up to 50% more for their chicken.

Source

Julia Glotz

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