Most British shoppers do not trust foreign food chains
Staff Writer |
New research commissioned by NFU Mutual reveals that almost nine out of ten people in the UK do not trust foreign food chains.
Article continues below
Only 12% of respondents had confidence in the European food supply chain and just 7% in global food suppliers.
A third of the people surveyed said they were less trusting of food than they were five years ago and almost three quarters (72%) believe there is an issue with ‘food fraud’ in the UK.
The least trusted product types were processed foods, red meat and supplements.
Frank Woods, retail sector specialist at NFU Mutual, said: "There has never been a more important time for tackling food fraud and getting regulation right, but government proposals for where we will get our food from are already under tough scrutiny from industry and consumers alike with concerns over quality.
"Producers are under immense pressure to offset price rises caused by the weakened value of sterling and higher import costs, squeezing already tight budgets and resources and potentially cornering them into using cheaper global suppliers that may be more vulnerable to fraud.
"Our research exposes the damaging effect that various influencers have had on consumer confidence over time.
"Much of the industry is addressing this by changing its supply strategy and supporting British produce - likely to be popular with a majority of consumers who want to support local businesses on home soil.
"How British farmers, producers, retailers and caterers will be supported and enabled to deliver the quantity of food required and improve consumer confidence remains to be seen.” ■
A strong area of low pressure across the northeast Pacific is expected to keep the weather pattern cool and wet over the next few days across the Pacific Northwest.