The Lure of Local Food

The majority of UK consumers (63%) expect that 'local food' comes either from their county or is produced within 30 miles of where they live or buy it, according to new research from IGD, Consumer Watch: Local & British Foods.

'Regional food' is thought to come from a wider geographical area than 'local food'. There are significant regional differences however: Welsh and Scottish consumers are much more likely to identify with their home nation whilst English consumers tend to identify with regions of England (e.g. South West, North East etc). In contrast to local foods, consumers do not necessarily expect regional food to come from the same area in which they live. It is also important that regional foods come from an area with a reputation for expertise and tradition for production of that food.

33% of consumers see supermarkets as the place where they would expect to buy local food, followed by farmers' markets (23%) and farm shops (17%).

While pick-your-own clearly indicates a local product, some consumers think the fact that a product has mud on it means that it must have come from a local farm. Once in the supermarket, clear signage and labels are vital, as consumers do not always find it easy to identify local products. This has implications for demand, as many consumers will not actively search out local products.

Just over half of consumers questioned by IGD would look for a label saying local or giving the county of origin when looking for a local product. However, 'who or where the food is bought from' is a more important indicator of local food for 37% of consumers, particularly those who associate 'local' with unprocessed products such as eggs or red meat.

Joanne Denney-Finch OBE, Chief Executive IGD said 'Our research found that consumers most associate 'local' food with food produced in the area where they live. Almost a third associate it as being produced within 30 miles of their home, 20% in their county and 13% produced within 30 miles of where they buy it. Just labelling the food as 'local' is often not enough; the use of specific terms like county name in marketing is more likely to increase consumers' confidence in the provenance of the food; and therefore make purchase more tempting. However, shoppers who are interested in buying local food are unlikely to compromise on quality, appearance, cost or product availability. Successful local products will be those that meet these consumer needs whilst adding value through the 'local' provenance. 15% of consumers said they wanted locally produced foods to be available in supermarkets to improve shopping for them in the year ahead.'

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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