More than a third of consumers say that they take the sustainability of a product into consideration before deciding whether to buy it, according to a new survey from software provider Label Insight.
The same proportion – 37% – said that they considered the product’s health or nutrition credentials, while another 33% of respondents said that sustainable packaging is an important factor in their choice of whether or not to pick up an item from the shelf.
In addition, 34% of people said that the farming techniques used in the cultivation of their food – such as organically grown and free from hormones or pesticides – as well as the way in which animals had been treated across the supply chain, as reflected in on pack marques like pasture-raised and cage-free, were important attributes for a sustainable product to have.
More than one third of consumers were concerned about how their food was grown, killed or caught.
Business principles, production methods and packaging materials were also among the most-cited criteria.
Label Insight, which makes cloud-based data solutions, spoke to 1,500 consumers as part of the research.
“We are experiencing a consumer-driven food revolution,” said Anton Xavier, chief product officer for Label Insight. “As consumers become increasingly sophisticated with regards to their food purchasing decisions, we see a shift in what is most important to them. Retailers are facing an increased demand for transparency in product information from production methods to packaging, as well as information about the ingredients they’re putting into their bodies.
“Retailers looking to connect with consumers on food transparency and offer a deeper omni-channel experience across channels need greater insight into product attributes and digital information that’s easy for customers to access.”
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