Italian consumers have strong confidence in the regulatory and advisory bodies of the agro-food chain. Instead, they look with much suspicion at the food mass media, as regards the ability and willingness of the latter to convey clear messages about the safety and quality of food and the actors in the supply chain; this despite the fact that cooking entertainment is gaining more and more space on television and web platforms.
The figure emerges from the study by the European network of universities and businesses, EIT Food, entitled: “Increasing consumer trust and support for the food supply chain and for food companies”, part of the “Consumer Trust Grand Challenge” focused on the consumer.
The project works with consumers, food companies and other stakeholders in 5 countries in Europe (Finland, Italy, Poland, Spain, UK) and Israel to co-create and implement for food companies, industry and others with the aim of generate both greater consumer confidence in food and greater consumer support for food companies and other actors in the food supply chain. The project is active for the three-year period 2020-2022.
In Italy, an online questionnaire was submitted to 369 consumers; in addition, seven focus groups were organized with consumers, a workshop with 14 representatives from the corporate, academic and journalistic world, five interviews with representatives from the industrial world).
The study also shows that, in Italy, despite the fact that people have had to limit their movements during the most acute phases of the COVID pandemic and this has inevitably encouraged the purchase of food items at small neighborhood shops, consumers say they store more. trust, in the face of uncertainty and the risks deriving from the virus, in large retailers of branded products, rather than in large discount stores, small shops and retailers of zero-kilometer products. Therefore, the consumption of packaged or even frozen products prevails, to the detriment of fresh ones.
Furthermore, Italian consumers believe that agri-food companies do little to ensure real transparency of the products they market. And they believe that much more can be done by integrating the traditional medium of the label with the possibilities offered by the web; not least in light of the recent digitalization practices of the paper material of bars and restaurants that have spread following the COVID pandemic.
Furthermore, Italian consumers declare that they pay great attention to two aspects of corporate social responsibility: the welfare of the animals involved in the agro-food chain, the disposal of waste (both during production and following consumption). On the contrary, companies tend to underestimate the importance of the practices listed above with respect to consumer loyalty.
The perception of farmers as the most vulnerable and exploited subjects of the agri-food chain prevails both among companies and among Italian consumers. Consumers also declare that they pay attention, in their consumption choices, to the national (though not necessarily local) origin of the products. Both Italian companies and industries believe that the Italian agricultural sector has done its utmost to ensure the safety of raw materials in the face of the challenges posed by the COVID virus.
Here are the main results that emerged in the six European countries involved in an online survey involving 2.200 people and 33 focus groups in which a total of 163 consumers took part in the 6 countries involved in the project (Finland, Israel, Italy, Poland, Spain , UK), these surveys revealed that consumers have expressed a need to have confidence in the food they consume and in the food supply chain.
When asked about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on confidence in the food supply chain, 28.5% of consumers in the six countries said they had increased their confidence while for 19.3% their confidence decreased. However, a majority of 52% say their level of confidence has remained stable since the pre-COVID period. A substantial number of consumers have also expressed appreciation for the food supply chain's ability to continue to provide the food people want despite the disruptions caused by COVID. However, consumers have noted that the scenes of food buying and stockpiling panic seen in some countries seem to indicate a lack of confidence in the food supply chain and its ability to maintain adequate levels of supply.
The category that sees the highest levels of trust and increase in confidence following the pandemic is that of farmers and ranchers, followed by distributors and food producers. Confidence in catering has fallen slightly below average, with around 28% declaring they have decreased their confidence in this category and 24% claiming instead to have increased it.
Consumers in the six countries tend to have more confidence in farmers and ranchers mainly because they see them as small producers, local and independent, who work hard and take many risks. The level of trust in food retailers varies between countries and is highest in the UK. Food producers are mostly seen as large companies that have profit as a priority and whose production practices are the least known. Confidence in catering also varies between countries and according to the type of business (the greatest degree of trust is given to small and local businesses)
For consumers, the quality and price of products are the two most important aspects in relation to trust in specific companies.
Consumers have identified the main actions they would like to see implemented to increase their confidence. Specifically (in order of importance):
- For farmers and ranchers, 1. Raise animals to high welfare standards, 2. Price fairness, 3. Product traceability and 4. Environmental protection.
- For food producers, 1. Greater transparency, 2. Honest and accurate product labeling, 3. Price fairness.
- For resellers and distributors, 1. Sourcing local products, 2. Price transparency, 3. Honesty in marketing and advertising.
- For catering, 1. Price fairness, 2. Use of local products, 3. Honesty on products and ingredients.
