LOCAL SOURCING

HALF OF SHOPPERS ‘ACTIVELY SEEKING‘ LOCAL PRODUCTS

A NEW SURVEY HAS FOUND THAT ALMOST HALF OF UK SHOPPERS ARE NOW ACTIVELY LOOKING FORLOCALLY SOURCED PRODUCTS WHEN THEY VISIT A STORE.

A new survey commissioned by Weetabix has revealed that almost one- third of UK consumers admit the Covid-19 pandemic has made them realise how important locally sourced products are to the country’s economy.

The survey of 2,000 UK adults found that 48% were actively looking for locally sourced items in stores.

Furthermore, a third say that they have been more supportive of local British businesses during lockdown than ever before.

The survey uncovered several different reasons driving this shift in behaviour. These included:

More than a third do so to be more ethical

Over two-thirds hope to support local producers

Almost half do so to get what they perceive as healthier, fresher produce

51% believe that by ‘buying local’ they are helping the economy

45% hope to reduce their ‘food miles’.

In fact, more than a third of consumers polled say they check the food miles of items when shopping by looking up the country of origin, believing the benefits of buying goods with fewer food miles to be include a lower carbon footprint (64%), helping preserve UK farms (54%) and less pollution (57%).

Commenting on the findings, Francesca Theokli, Marketing Director at Weetabix, said: “Our study showed that more than two-thirds believe companies are not transparent enough about where their food is grown and produced.

“So we wanted to highlight our ongoing commitment to locally sourcing the highest quality wheat from a 50 mile radius of our home in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire.”

Weetabix has unveiled a striking crop circle in the British countryside during this year’s harvest to raise awareness of the value of locally produced food to the UK economy. Produced over 36 hours, the crop circle highlights Weetabix’s commitment to working exclusively with local farmers to source all its wheat in Weetabix Original biscuits from within 50 miles of its mills in rural Northamptonshire.

OTHER FINDINGS...

The items people are most likely to buy which have been grown and produced in the UK were found to include butter (49%), eggs (71%) and strawberries (55%)

At the other end of the scale, products like teabags (22%), bananas (13%) and chocolate (19%) are believed to be difficult to purchase ‘locally’

A further 31% feel there are limited options of local products in stores and, as a result, 45% of those surveyed would like to see the big brands sourcing local ingredients to lead the way

Almost a third said the distance something has travelled would make them decide against buying a product – with a quarter refusing to buy an item which has travelled up to 1,000 miles

More than two-thirds believe companies are not currently transparent enough about where their food is grown and produced

Half of those polled believe food miles and locally sourced goods should be highlighted more to educate consumers, with 83% admitting that they are likely to be more supportive of brands which use locally sourced ingredients if they are aware of them.