Survey shows that consumers want to know about source of food
Survey shows that consumers want to know about source of food
PACIFIC GROVE, CA " A survey conducted by the University of California-Santa Cruz reveals that consumers want to know about the source of the food they eat.
Phil Howard of UC-Santa Cruz?s Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems shared findings of the study at the 25th annual Ecological Farming Conference held here at Asilomar Conference Center in late January. Mr. Howard?s written evaluation and summation of the study were provided to attendees of a seminar he hosted.
The survey asked people in five Central Coast counties what kind of information they would like to have when buying food. Consumers? top concerns were food safety and nutrition. Treatment of animals involved in food production, environmental impacts and working conditions all received a high level of concern.
The research involved two phases: a series of focus groups and a random sample mail survey of 1,000 households.
On the topic of environmental impacts, focus-group participants in the survey expressed concerns related to pesticides and genetic engineering. On the topic of working conditions, focus group participants were interested in the treatment of farm workers.
How far food travels was ranked lowest on the survey. Product labels were the most popular choice for obtaining more information about food, selected by more than 81 percent of respondents. A brochure or retail display was a close second at more than 76 percent. Print media and web-based information were selected by about half of the respondents.
In regards to "eco-labels? " seals or logos that signify that the product meets certain standards " focus-group participants wanted information on an eco-label to be in "plain English? and easily understood. They also emphasized that any label had to "mean what it says." Participants were very skeptical about claims made about their food, especially ones that were not well defined " such as "natural."
Of eco-labeled food, respondents revealed that "locally grown? was of far greater interest than "U.S. grown? and "small-scale? " denoting support for small farms and businesses.
One survey question asked respondents about their willingness to pay a price premium for strawberries that would guarantee a living wage and safe working conditions for farmworkers. The median price that respondents were willing to pay was 71 percent more than the regular price. Eighty-four percent of respondents were willing to pay a 3 percent increase of five cents.
In his summary of the surveys findings, Mr. Howard wrote that these figures indicate that there is consumer support for a domestic version of "fair trade? certified foods " imported products certified in the United States by Oakland, CA-based TransFair USA " especially if the price premium is small.
Mr. Howard?s summation of the findings in the study include an indication that growers, processors and retailers could do a better job of providing their customers with information on the way food is produced, processed, transported and sold.
Phil Howard of UC-Santa Cruz?s Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems shared findings of the study at the 25th annual Ecological Farming Conference held here at Asilomar Conference Center in late January. Mr. Howard?s written evaluation and summation of the study were provided to attendees of a seminar he hosted.
The survey asked people in five Central Coast counties what kind of information they would like to have when buying food. Consumers? top concerns were food safety and nutrition. Treatment of animals involved in food production, environmental impacts and working conditions all received a high level of concern.
The research involved two phases: a series of focus groups and a random sample mail survey of 1,000 households.
On the topic of environmental impacts, focus-group participants in the survey expressed concerns related to pesticides and genetic engineering. On the topic of working conditions, focus group participants were interested in the treatment of farm workers.
How far food travels was ranked lowest on the survey. Product labels were the most popular choice for obtaining more information about food, selected by more than 81 percent of respondents. A brochure or retail display was a close second at more than 76 percent. Print media and web-based information were selected by about half of the respondents.
In regards to "eco-labels? " seals or logos that signify that the product meets certain standards " focus-group participants wanted information on an eco-label to be in "plain English? and easily understood. They also emphasized that any label had to "mean what it says." Participants were very skeptical about claims made about their food, especially ones that were not well defined " such as "natural."
Of eco-labeled food, respondents revealed that "locally grown? was of far greater interest than "U.S. grown? and "small-scale? " denoting support for small farms and businesses.
One survey question asked respondents about their willingness to pay a price premium for strawberries that would guarantee a living wage and safe working conditions for farmworkers. The median price that respondents were willing to pay was 71 percent more than the regular price. Eighty-four percent of respondents were willing to pay a 3 percent increase of five cents.
In his summary of the surveys findings, Mr. Howard wrote that these figures indicate that there is consumer support for a domestic version of "fair trade? certified foods " imported products certified in the United States by Oakland, CA-based TransFair USA " especially if the price premium is small.
Mr. Howard?s summation of the findings in the study include an indication that growers, processors and retailers could do a better job of providing their customers with information on the way food is produced, processed, transported and sold.
