The US egg industry has been engaged in a struggle with activist groups for several years over what the future of the industry will look like: Will hens still be predominantly kept in cages or will they be cage-free? The one "stakeholder" group that often isn't heard from in this debate is the consumer. The discussion over use of antibiotics in food-producing animals has created a similar circumstance, with lots of input from activists, industry professionals, veterinarians and regulators, but little input from the average consumer.
The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) conducted a symposium titled, "Bridging the gap between animal health and human health," which addressed the issue of antibiotic use in food-producing animals and the development of antibiotic resistance. Dr. Joe Cardador, chief research officer, Service Management Group, presented results of two consumer surveys conducted to gauge consumers' attitudes and perceptions about food. Service Management Group specializes in "customer experience research."
One of the surveys was Web-based and used a paid panel of volunteers. The survey was conducted in early October 2013 and all 705 participants were grocery consumers. The second survey was conducted with what Cardador called a "mini panel" of 1,228 consumers immediately after they made a grocery shopping trip. All states were represented in the surveys with California, Florida and New York being slightly overrepresented. The survey respondents were slightly more female than male, slightly older than average, and their household income was a little higher than average.
Survey results
Consumers were asked how important it was to them to know that the animals used to produce dairy and egg products were raised and handled humanely. Just over half, 51 percent, said humane treatment was either very important or important to them (Table 1). This ranked behind responses on the importance of knowing whether the animals were given growth promotants or steroids, were fed anything genetically modified, received antibiotics, or were fed a pesticide-free diet.
Nearly two-fifths of consumers either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "What I eat and feed my family says something about who I am" (Table 2). Thirty-five percent of consumers agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "You can learn a lot about where food comes from by its label." The importance that consumers place on the product labels comes up again later in the study.
More concerned
Survey respondents report they are more concerned or much more concerned about several issues today than they were a few years ago (Table 3). Fifty-six percent of consumer survey respondents said they are more concerned or much more concerned about "how humanely animals are raised and handled." More than half of the survey respondents reported being more concerned or much more concerned about each of the five issues that were raised.
Importance of labels
Two-thirds of consumers in the survey said they read most product labels, and another 13 percent said they read all product labels. Only 8 percent of consumers participating in the survey report that they never read food product labels.
Consumers were asked how they get information about how the food they buy is produced. Even though these consumers were responding to these survey questions electronically, nearly three-quarters of them report that they get information on how their food is produced from reading the product label (Table 4). All other means of obtaining information, including social networking sites, blogs and newspapers had much lower rates of use by consumers. Brochures and in-store displays were listed as information sources by one-quarter of survey respondents.
Cardador said that a more youthful demographic group might be interested in QR codes or URLs for getting product information, but the current preference for consumers in this study was on the product label. "Their preference seems to be to get the information close to the moment of purchase and preferably on the product itself," he said.
Buying behavior
"The main takeaway for me from the study is that (where food comes from) does matter to consumers and it is an important issue," Cardador said. "If the people in this room are having a difficult time arguing the relative merits of what constitutes the appropriate use of antibiotics and other drugs in food production, then consumers are even more confused and ambivalent about it."
He said the next research should be about how the use of antibiotics and other drugs or the way animals are raised is actually affecting consumers' purchase behavior. For example, just over half of consumers in this survey agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "I don't mind paying more for quality" (Table 2). Cardador would like to test whether consumers really will pay more when they say they will.
The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) conducted a symposium titled, "Bridging the gap between animal health and human health," which addressed the issue of antibiotic use in food-producing animals and the development of antibiotic resistance. Dr. Joe Cardador, chief research officer, Service Management Group, presented results of two consumer surveys conducted to gauge consumers' attitudes and perceptions about food. Service Management Group specializes in "customer experience research."
One of the surveys was Web-based and used a paid panel of volunteers. The survey was conducted in early October 2013 and all 705 participants were grocery consumers. The second survey was conducted with what Cardador called a "mini panel" of 1,228 consumers immediately after they made a grocery shopping trip. All states were represented in the surveys with California, Florida and New York being slightly overrepresented. The survey respondents were slightly more female than male, slightly older than average, and their household income was a little higher than average.
Survey results
Consumers were asked how important it was to them to know that the animals used to produce dairy and egg products were raised and handled humanely. Just over half, 51 percent, said humane treatment was either very important or important to them (Table 1). This ranked behind responses on the importance of knowing whether the animals were given growth promotants or steroids, were fed anything genetically modified, received antibiotics, or were fed a pesticide-free diet.
Nearly two-fifths of consumers either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "What I eat and feed my family says something about who I am" (Table 2). Thirty-five percent of consumers agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "You can learn a lot about where food comes from by its label." The importance that consumers place on the product labels comes up again later in the study.
More concerned
Survey respondents report they are more concerned or much more concerned about several issues today than they were a few years ago (Table 3). Fifty-six percent of consumer survey respondents said they are more concerned or much more concerned about "how humanely animals are raised and handled." More than half of the survey respondents reported being more concerned or much more concerned about each of the five issues that were raised.
Importance of labels
Two-thirds of consumers in the survey said they read most product labels, and another 13 percent said they read all product labels. Only 8 percent of consumers participating in the survey report that they never read food product labels.
Consumers were asked how they get information about how the food they buy is produced. Even though these consumers were responding to these survey questions electronically, nearly three-quarters of them report that they get information on how their food is produced from reading the product label (Table 4). All other means of obtaining information, including social networking sites, blogs and newspapers had much lower rates of use by consumers. Brochures and in-store displays were listed as information sources by one-quarter of survey respondents.
Cardador said that a more youthful demographic group might be interested in QR codes or URLs for getting product information, but the current preference for consumers in this study was on the product label. "Their preference seems to be to get the information close to the moment of purchase and preferably on the product itself," he said.
Buying behavior
"The main takeaway for me from the study is that (where food comes from) does matter to consumers and it is an important issue," Cardador said. "If the people in this room are having a difficult time arguing the relative merits of what constitutes the appropriate use of antibiotics and other drugs in food production, then consumers are even more confused and ambivalent about it."
He said the next research should be about how the use of antibiotics and other drugs or the way animals are raised is actually affecting consumers' purchase behavior. For example, just over half of consumers in this survey agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "I don't mind paying more for quality" (Table 2). Cardador would like to test whether consumers really will pay more when they say they will.
