Although shoppers are starting to take more notice of the price they’re paying for food, this has not resulted in them disregarding their values.

In a recession it’s easy to imagine that price is the only thing that matters to shoppers. Certainly 2009 will be tough for many and this will impact on willingness to spend across the board, so price will remain front of mind. However shoppers are telling us that it’s not the only factor being considered when purchasing food.
 

Increasing awareness and availability of higher animal welfare products

When deciding on what products to buy, price has risen in importance in the last twelve months, yet interestingly it’s not been the fastest rising cause. The factor which has seen the most increase as a driver of product choice has been animal welfare mentioned by one fifth (20%) of shoppers, which is up from 13% in 2008. These figures suggest that high profile publicity on this topic has had a lasting impact, including Channel Four’s programmes which were aired at the beginning of 2008. The effect of these continued to reverberate throughout the year and animal welfare was still talked about by shoppers in IGD focus groups in the latter half of the year.

Animal welfare standards are increasingly influencing shoppers' product choices

Greater availability and visibility of products with higher animal welfare credentials will also have had an impact on shoppers’ attitudes. During 2008 there were significant developments, with free-range products moving beyond raw products and into more processed products such as mayonnaise, pasta and ready meals. There was also an increase in the availability of products featuring the Freedom Food Logo. Over Christmas, Freedom Food labelled turkey was available in Sainsbury’s, Asda, and for the first time in Tesco.
 

Values or value

The key motivators for shoppers will be determined by their personal circumstances and whether or not they are in a financial position to put their values ahead of value. Shoppers in social groups DE are more likely to be influenced by budget issues with 44% of these shoppers mentioning price as a driver, compared to 28% of AB shoppers.

On the other hand, AB shoppers are more likely than DE shoppers to be influenced by animal welfare standards (29% compared to 15%).
 

Food production concerns

When asked about concerns they have relating to food production, almost half (46%) of shoppers mentioned animal living conditions compared with 38% in 2008. This is the second most mentioned concern after ‘hygiene in the factories’ which was mentioned by 47% of respondents. Among AB shoppers, animal living conditions is the key production concern mentioned by almost six in ten (58%) of this group.

Concern about what animals are fed also increased in the last year, being mentioned by 36% of shoppers this year compared to 28% last year.
 

Translating attitudes into behaviour

When asked about purchases in the last month, almost one in five (18%) indicated that they had specifically purchased foods with high animal welfare. This, along with purchases of other products with ethical credentials, such as Fairtrade products and local products, has been growing in popularity in recent years. This demonstrates that not only have attitudes changed but also purchasing behaviour.

As to be expected, in the current economic climate, price is a key driver of product choice. However, the stronger focus on standards of animal welfare demonstrates that consumers have become much more engaged with their food as ethical values have become deeply embedded in their purchasing decisions. British farmers employ many world-leading practices in animal welfare, so the growing public interest provides an excellent opportunity to differentiate and gain more shopper loyalty.