Animal welfare is Britain’s number one food concern with 40% of Brits worried about this issue, according to new research from Mintel.
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, today organic is important to just one in ten (11%) of Britons.
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, and it seems the appeal of free-range and domestic food has continued to grow even during the recession.”
Mintel’s research also finds that age has an enormous impact on the importance of where produce has come from. Almost half of over 55s are committed to British food versus just one in four of 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.
Source: Mintel
