Mintel finds animal welfare is key consumer concern

- Published: 20 May, 2010

As many as four in 10 consumers worry about animal welfare as their number one food concern, due to campaigns by celebrity chefs, research from Mintel has revealed.

Forty per cent of Brits questioned said they worried about the issue, with almost half (46%) of British women expressing concern about this issue, compared to just one-third (34%) of men.

Meanwhile, being of British origin (37%) and free from additives or preservatives (36%) make up the remaining top three food concerns, closely followed by the desire to have locally produced food (35%). Being organic is said to be important to just one in 10 (11%) of Britons.

Kiti Soininen, Mintel senior food and drink analyst, said: “Recent media coverage has helped drive awareness of animal welfare, with celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall putting the spotlight on poultry and pork farming in recent years and it seems that the appeal of free-range and domestic food has continued to grow, even during the recession.”

Mintel’s research also found that age has an enormous impact on the importance of where produce has come from. Almost half (44%) of over-55s are committed to British food versus just one in four (26%) of 16-24-year-olds. The tendency is even stronger when it comes to local food, which is important to 20% of the youngest age group and 47% of the oldest age group.

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