Survey: Farmers could help rebuild trust after horsemeat scandal
Shoppers want farmers to help repair confidence in the food supply chain after the horsemeat scandal of 2013, a survey has revealed.
The scandal broke on 14 January last year after horse DNA was discovered in frozen beefburgers. Thousands of products were removed from supermarket shelves as more contaminated food was found across Europe.
Results of the survey, carried out one year on, showed that one-third of British adults believed nothing had changed in the industry in the past 12 months.
And it showed more than half (56%) of the 2,000 respondents, feared further similar scandals would happen in the near future.
It also showed that 47% of shoppers thought food was not made as well as it used to be and 42% said they were more worried about food quality since the horsemeat scandal.
More than half (53%) said they were more suspicious of discounted food and less well-known brands.
But a spokesman for public affairs and reputation consultant Hanover International, which commissioned the survey, said it “wasn’t all bad news” and farmers could play a role in rebuilding confidence.
“Fifty-three per cent of respondents are more confident about buying meat if packaging tells them about the producer behind the product, while 55% said the UK has a high standard for its food sourcing,” the spokesman said.
He also pointed out there were measures which could be taken by food producers to win back consumer trust.
Information consumers want from food producers

- 68% would feel more confident if they knew where their food was sourced.
- 61% would feel more confident if they knew how livestock were treated
- 34% would feel more confident if the producers were involved in community projects and other social responsibility initiatives
- 21% would feel more confident about purchasing products if they could name the CEO of the producer

Responses to the survey also wanted the wider food industry to do more, the spokesman added.
The majority of those questioned would be more confident about the food products if pledges were made on traceability and country of origin labelling, he said.
Commenting on the findings, Gavin Megaw, director at Hanover Communications, said:
“The legacy of the horsemeat scandal still hangs over the food industry. Producers must do more to raise their own reputation and communicate the high standards they practice. Our research clearly shows this is becoming more important and that the public want to know more about producers, even those who are not consumer facing.
Industry measures to boost confidence 

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- 66% wanted traceability across the entire food chain
- 62% wanted independent certification that all meat sold was from sustainable sources
- 59% wanted all meat to be UK sourced
- 59% wanted all meat sold in store to be sourced locally

“While it is positive that people see buying British as the benchmark of quality, the poll makes it clear the industry is exposed should another major crisis occur. It makes business sense for producers to get on the front foot and start building a positive story and reputation.”
The poll was carried out by Populus which interviewed 2,011 adults in the UK.
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