Food PR - How To Use Food Public Relations To Encourage Consumers To Act On Their Concerns

Recent food PR research shows that animal welfare is now a major concern amongst consumers.

Research from Mintel reveals there's nothing closer to the hearts of the nation than the wellbeing of animals. The study found animal welfare is Britain's number one food concern, with as many as four-in-ten (40%) British people worried about this issue. And it is women who are showing the greatest concern, with almost half (46%) of British women expressing concern about this issue, compared to just a third (34%) of men. Meanwhile, being of British origin (37%) and free from additives or preservatives (36%) make up the remaining top three food concerns, closely followed by the desire to have locally produced food (35%).

By contrast the importance of organic is now only a conce
to just one-in-ten (11%) people. Kiti Soininen, senior food and drink analyst at Mintel, said: "Recent media coverage has helped drive awareness of animal welfare, with celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall putting the spotlight on poultry and pork farming in recent years. It seems the appeal of free-range and domestic food has continued to grow even during the recession.

Food provenance - the origin of what we eat - has also forged a permanent place on consumers' and the media's food agenda. Various food scares, the focus on 'food miles' as part of ethical consumption and a wider trend for authenticity are driving interests in making sure we know where our food comes from."

Mintel's research also finds that age has an enormous impact on the importance of where produce has come from. Almost half (44%) of people aged over 55 are committed to British food compared to just one-in-four (26%) 16-24-year-olds. The tendency is even stronger when it comes to local food, which is important to 20% of the youngest age group and 47% of the oldest age group. Two-in-five people buy British to support local business (40%), but only one-in-five (19%) see it as worth paying more for. With regards to taste, only 17% say British food is better.

It seems the future also looks promising for future growth, with around 16 million adults currently buying British food to support local businesses. However, more than one-in-four people say there isn't enough British food available in their supermarket. Although local food lags slightly behind British in terms of overall food concerns, almost half (48%) the population claim to buy local food when possible, and a similar number (45%) would like to see more local food at their supermarket. However, just one in seven (13%) people say they actively seek out local food, suggesting the broad interest only translates into action for a minority of the population.

So it seems that whilst consumers have an overall interest in food origin, in particular and British and local food, they often fail to translate their interest into action. Effective food PR campaigns can make a major contribution to communicating the 'local' credentials of brands and encourage more shoppers to act on their concerns. Without effective communications British businesses are missing out on a great chance to successfully connect with consumers.