Consumer trust in food from the US and India has plunged over the past year, while support for UK-grown food and calls for the UK to produce more have soared, new research by Red Tractor has revealed.
At a time of extensive speculation about an increase in food imports, particularly in meat, as a result of trade deals – including the two agreements with the above countries over the past six weeks – the farm assurance scheme’s latest Trust in Food Index has revealed significant shifts in shopper attitudes.
Drawing on research from more than 2,000 UK consumers, the index revealed that 94% trusted food produced in the UK more than other countries around the world. Some 90% also wanted to see more food produced in the UK, up from 83% in 2023.
Meanwhile, just a third of people said they trusted food produced in the US (33%) and India (31%) – a steep decline from the Index’s 2023 findings of 74% and 62% respectively.
Many people believe these countries had lower animal welfare standards than the UK, Red Tractor said. Nearly three out of five Brits (57%) believed the US has lower standards than our own, up from 46% in 2023 – potentially raising concerns about products set to enter the UK market, it added.
Red Tractor put the increase in trust for UK food down to a number of factors, with rising confidence across all aspects of UK food production and assurance.
Some 88% of adults said it was good quality, up from 73% in 2023, while 86% were confident UK food was traceable through the supply chain (up from 64% in 2023).
Read more: Waitrose and Co-op slam rivals for breaking meat sourcing commitments
The UK’s record on animal welfare was another key driver of this trust, with more than four in five people (83%) recognising the UK’s high animal welfare standards as the reason to trust homegrown food.
Britain’s farmers were “the trusted guardians of our weekly shop”, Red Tractor said, with 88% of consumers having trust in them, followed closely by assurance schemes (79%).
And when asked about which group is the most responsible for ensuring food is safe and good quality in the UK, food assurance and inspection schemes came out top, followed by the government and farmers.
Shoppers responding to the survey were clear about their support for British food and farming, the scheme added, citing comments from the survey which claimed “we don’t support our own farmers enough”, while “too many cheap imports from countries that don’t have the same safeguards for crops or animals we do here”.
For British shoppers, if they were going to buy imported food, closer to home was better. Ireland was the most trusted country outside the UK to produce beef, chicken, pork and dairy products. Ireland’s animal welfare standards were considered very close to the UK’s, the research found.
“The world leading standards to which British farmers operate sets us apart from our international competitors,” said Red Tractor’s recently appointed chair Alistair Mackintosh.
Will UK producers benefit from trade deal with the US?
“It’s this dedication to quality, safety and animal welfare that underpins the trust consumers place in British food – and it’s something our farmers continue to earn every day through their hard work and high standards. The results from the survey highlight the value that UK shoppers place in trusting UK-produced food.”
As discussions continued around opening the UK market to US beef imports, “we must be clear: our priority should be championing British produce – reared to world-leading standards and independently assured through third-party assurance schemes like Red Tractor, reassuring shoppers that items have gone through rigorous checks before reaching the supermarket”, he added.
“The UK Government must value and continue to defend British food standards and our farming industry by ensuring that any imports meet the same high bar. Consumers are clear that it is important their food is produced here in the UK, and rightly expect that what they put in their shopping basket reflects British values.”
Undercutting those expectations with lower-standard imports “would betray the trust that farmers and assurance schemes have worked so hard to build”, Mackintosh said. “Alongside the NFU and our industry partners, I am clear that the best way consumers can support British farmers and food is to look for the Red Tractor logo.”
No comments yet