Nearly a third of consumers take no heed of health messages, the latest Shop Waves survey reveals…

As the government tries to drag retailers and suppliers together over front-of-pack nutritional labelling systems, new research commissioned by The Grocer reveals that almost 30% of shoppers don’t look at labels when buying food and drink.

The Shop Waves survey, conducted by Him!, found that more than half the consumers (54%) believe the industry is responsible for helping people adopt a healthy lifestyle. And 88% consider their health when making food and drink choices always or sometimes. However, 29% take no heed of any kind of health message used by retailers or suppliers.

In terms of the messages shoppers do use, calorie content is the most relevant, with 30% claiming it is the most important nutritional indicator. A similar amount (29%) claimed GDAs were most important, with 23% saying they preferred traffic lights. Just 11% opted to consider portion size information, and only 3% followed the WeightWatchers points system.

Consumption of fruit and veg is still some way short of the five-a-day recommendation at 3.7, with only 33% achieving it. Yet 74% believe they are eating a balanced diet. And just 30% of consumers meet the government’s recommendation of exercising for half an hour at least three times a week.

Health labels

Which of the following are important in helping you make purchasing decisions about the food and drink you consume?

  • Number of calories in a product (where applicable) 30%
  • Systems stating the percentage of recommended salt, fat, sugar and calorie (GDAs) 29%
  • Traffic-light labelling 23%
  • The recommended portion size 11%
  • The number of ‘points’ (WeightWatchers) 3%

Are you responsible for your own personal health or do retailers and food manufacturers have a role to play?

  • Just me 46%
  • Retailers & manufacturers also 54%

How often have you exercised for more than 30 minutes this month?

  • 6-7 times a week 6%
  • 4-5 times a week 9%
  • 3-4 times a week 15%
  • 1-2 times a week 29%
  • Less than once a week 20%
  • Never 19%
  • Don’t know 2%

Loyalty

Which supermarket do you feel most loyal to this month?

  • Tesco 27%
  • Asda 19%
  • Sainsbury’s 15%
  • Morrisons 12%
  • Aldi 6%
  • Other 21%

Which supermarket offers the best value for money?

  • Asda 30%
  • Tesco 20%
  • Aldi 13%
  • Morrisons 8%
  • Sainsbury’s 8%
  • Other 21%

Which stores do you feel more or less loyal to in the past month?

Sample size & Net gain/loss

  • Aldi 130 - 27%
  • Asda 251 - 20%
  • Iceland 120 - 17%
  • Sainsbury’s 220 - 16%
  • Marks & Spencer 135 - 13%
  • Sainsbury’s Local 55 - 11%
  • Morrisons 190 - 9%
  • Lidl 125 - 8%
  • Tesco Express 110 - 6%
  • Tesco 326 - 4%
  • Waitrose 65 - 3%
  • Co-op (C-store) 115 - 1%
  • M&S Simply Food 70 - 1%
  • Spar 70 - 3%
  • BP 50 - 3%
  • Co-op (Supermarket) 130 - 4%