Consumer Purchases of "Ethical" Foods - Some Data from DEFRA

It is difficult to get a factual grip on the difference between what consumers say they will do and what they actually do when buying food. DEFRA has had a stab at this as part of their effort to build a sustainable food chain.

Their research confirms that consumers are interested in the issues surrounding sustainable food production, but that actual purchase of some foods generally defined as ethical remains fairly low.

Free range eggs

This is the animal welfare issue that has gained most support. 50% of those who think animal welfare is important buy free range eggs - but only a third of them buy free range all the time, and at the other end of the spectrum, 31% buy free range less than 10% of the time.

Free range chicken

88% of households buy free range chicken less than 10% of the time, and 75% never buy free range at all. DEFRA does not report purchase of higher welfare chicken where sales have grown rapidly, and so the numbers may underplay consumer committment to welfare.

Fair Trade tea and coffee

This is another sector which has received wide publicity, but 93% of households buy fair trade coffee less than 10% of the time, with the equivalent figure for tea being 85%.

British apples in season

Despite growing enthusiasm for local produce, 62% of households buy British apples in season less than 10% of the time.

Green issues

The DEFRA research does not give buying figures for environmentally friendly products, but does give clues about peoples' feelings on the subject. In general, people are aware of the issues but stop short of agreeing with inconvenient or financially disadvantageous measures to limit environmental damage. So, whilst 82% agree that people have a duty to recycle, only 13% feel car owners should pay higher taxes to offset the environmental damage they do, and just 8% strongly agree that people who fly should bear the cost of environmental damage.

The DEFRA research paints a picture of informed consumers, who say they are actively seeking sustainable or ethical foods, but who are not yet wholly committed to buying them.

It serves as a timely reminder that, for most people, making the leap from being informed and interested to embracing a wholesale change in buying behaviour takes a very long time.