A new EIT Food report reveals that consumer trust in the food sector has increased over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the majority of consumers do not think that some factions of the food industry are working in the public interest. 

Conducted with a consortium of academic partners including the University of Reading, UK, the EIT Food Trust Report surveyed 19,800 consumers from 18 European countries to measure consumer trust in the food system and confidence in food products. 

Among key findings, farmers were found to be the most trusted group within the food sector, winning the trust of two-thirds of European consumers.

Trust in retailers has increased 7 percent since 2018, potentially due to their role in maintaining food supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, less than half of consumers believe that retailers, manufacturers or government authorities act in the public interest.

“We know that to achieve more trust in the food system, people need to have trust in each of its components,” Klaus Grunert, head of section of the department of management at Aarhus University, Denmark, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“Ultimately, the food value chain is only as strong as its weakest link and work is required across the board to deliver better against the criteria for trust that the TrustTracker shows.”

The study shows that people’s beliefs about the competence, care and openness of food chain actors are the most important components of trust.

In line with Innova Market Insights’ Top Trend for 2021, “Transparency Triumphs,” consumers’ perception of food chain actors’ “openness to the public” was flagged as a major element in engaging trust.

“The actors that are focused on in this study are the major actors in the food supply system: farmers and producers, manufacturers and processors, retailers and authorities,” says Grunert.

Confidence in sustainable food production sinks
Just three in ten European consumers are confident that food products are produced sustainably – at odds with consumer demand for environmentally friendly goods.

Meanwhile, UK consumers consider the food sector to be more caring than their European peers do, with a higher proportion believing that farmers and retailers act in the public interest.

This appears to be in contrast to recent reports of British agri-food activists expressing concerns over the potential risk of sub-standard animal and agricultural imports, after failed attempts to amend the UK’s trade bill. 

Overhead action
The government is held responsible to introduce new pathways to help consumers make better purchasing decisions with ease. The Nutri-score five-color nutrition labeling system was mentioned as an example of a helpful signpost.

“The general feeling was that the necessary regulations exist but that control and execution by authorities could be better,” explains Grunert.

“While people expressed overall confidence in their basic competence, there were some concerns about them being too interest-driven (by policy makers and industry) and distant from the consumers they serve (‘opaque’, even ‘absent’),” he notes.

“Others said they were too reactive – not acting as the problem solvers they could be.”

Trying new foods
Part of the challenge in shifting consumers toward choosing more environmentally sustainable or healthier F&B options may come down to the fact that consumers have mixed feelings about buying and trying different food products, EIT Food flags.

“We see no real shift in these somewhat change-resistant attitudes over the past three years when we look at our five-country sample,” TrustTracker highlights.

Overall, 66 percent of Europeans surveyed in 2020 say they are very particular about the type of foods they will eat, while 42 percent are afraid to try new foods – rising to over half in Italy. 

Men are slightly more likely than women to say this (44 versus 40 percent) and 18 to 34 year-olds more than the older age groups (47 versus 40 percent). 

On the counter side, 61 percent of total respondents indicate that they will eat almost anything – rising to 79 percent in France – and 60 percent say they are “constantly sampling different foods.”

Overcoming ambivalence to novelty
As part of the EIT’s Crisis Response Initiative, EIT Food is currently delivering over €10 million (US$12 million) in funding for high impact start-ups and projects to support European agri-food innovation through the pandemic. 

Despite the overall ambivalence toward new foods revealed by the TrustTracker study, many of survey participants saw innovation as a real opportunity for both the food system and individuals. 

When it comes to specifics, EIT Food notes these people are generally positive about innovation of food products with positionings such as plant-based; low salt or sugar; high protein; healthier; or more sustainable. 

However, these individuals remain concerned about “loss of authenticity” in F&B offerings that comes with over-production, over-processing and the inclusion of additives, GMOs.

Building back trust
“Our qualitative study indicates that manufacturers need to bring greater transparency,” stresses Grunert. “For instance [they need to provide clarity] about all of their ingredients, processes and additives, while communicating this in accessible language that consumers can easily understand.”

EIT food underscores that retailers must listen more to their farmers and suppliers while championing affordable, healthy and traceable options. “People want to see a product range that is more Fairtrade, more local, more seasonal and more organic – with less packaging and wasteful practices and offers.” 

The EIT Food Trust Report can be leveraged by F&B manufacturers and formulators to map and monitor European trust levels over time, identify gaps in trust, and understand how to improve their relationship with consumers. 

“This can lead to a more trusted, reliable, and stronger food system,” notes Grunert. “But I would like to stress that the report is not only of relevance to F&B manufacturers, but all actors in the agrifood sector.”