When it comes to nutritional claims made by food and drink companies, there is a growing climate of consumer distrust. Market analyst Datamonitor says that less than half of the UK population believes in health claims, while the figure rise to 86% in the US and Europe when people are asked if they have become more distrustful of corporations in the past five years.
Datamonitor believes that trust-building brand strategies must take on greater emphasis. “The consumer packaged goods industry in particular is suffering from a ‘trust void’”, comments Daniel Bone, consumer markets analyst. “These survey statistics are merely a snapshot of the overall negativity that characterizes contemporary European and US consumers. Addressing concerns and skepticism with regard to product safety, product efficacy claims, advertising and corporate behavior will all be crucial.”
In fact, less than half of consumers in Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK consider nutritional claims made by food and drink companies to be trustworthy.
“These findings should be of considerable concern to the industry. Not only does it undermine attempts to develop relationships with consumers, it also hinders the chances of future new product development. In the food and drink industry, many of the most exciting innovations will focus on functional food which use innovative ingredients and technologies. When consumers lack trust in everyday product propositions, it will be difficult to generate mass appeal for these products which boast more expansive claims,” says Bone.
European consumers are paying more attention to the recommendations of friends and family, especially in the UK where 72% of respondents consider the recommendations of family and friends ‘important’ or ‘very important’ when choosing everyday products and services.
Professional endorsement and a good track record in business ethics also rank as the most important trust building credentials for consumers.
Other factors cited as being important include seeking added information about a product’s origins/provenance to choosing more expensive, higher-quality variants.
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