Food manufacturers: A journey towards consumer trust

A big welcome to the 20 new foodies who have joined us this week — you’ve got good taste.

If you too have good taste then subscribe to The Sauce — InFlavour's content & insights community, run by global experts. Sink your teeth into stories about food, worth sharing, and receive insights, ideas, opinions, trends, and strategies straight to your inbox.

Keep up with our weekly newsletters on LinkedIn by subscribing here.

The latest EIT Food Trust Report analysed survey results from 19,642 consumers across 18 countries. 

It found that only 46% of consumers say they trust food manufacturers, 27% actively mistrust them. 

Only four in 10 (38%) of consumers stated they believe that food manufacturers care about people’s concerns; and 37% feel that manufacturers are open and honest about the way they prepare and sell food. 

These figures don’t just tell one story. They tell thousands of different stories – and they’re a clear sign that food manufacturers need to double down on their efforts to increase transparency and build consumer trust. 

Why don’t consumers trust food manufacturers? 

Because, in short, manufacturers haven’t given people enough reasons to feel confident that what they say is true, and that their supply chains are operated sustainably and ethically. 

Today’s consumers need to be able to imagine the journey of their food from production, through processing and distribution, and onto their plates. They want to know that if they ask for information or certification to show the origins of a food product, they will be given free access to that information. 

People know that manufacturers haven’t always been honest. So being told where something has come from or how it has been produced isn’t enough – they have to be able to see verifications to back up those claims. 

Importantly, this has to be true of every ingredient in a product. And that means that ingredients data has to be easy to interpret – with clarity, simplicity, and transparency. Rebranding an ingredient with a more market-friendly name, for example, won’t fly with modern consumers; and when they find out about changes like this, their trust in manufacturers is damaged even further. 

One example of this is the sweetener Xylitol, which was recently renamed ‘Birch Sugar’. 

What can help to improve trust? 

We’ve said it already, but we’ll say it again: transparency is everything. 

It’s not that consumers will only ever buy products that have been produced in the most sustainable and ethical and healthy way. It’s that they want to be told the truth – and they want to know without any shadow of a doubt that the information they’ve been given is accurate. 

Other measures that can help to bolster trust include:

• Shortening supply chains. Consumers often feel that the fewer parties involved in the production and distribution of a food product, the safer it’s likely to be. So manufacturers that can shorten their supply chains and opt for local production and distribution wherever possible will gain a competitive edge.
  
  
• Creating opportunities for awareness and education. Making supply chain data accessible in easy-to-digest formats can support consumer trust. And it doesn’t have to be boring: supply chain awareness can be blended with food product education to spark curiosity and encourage consumers to try new things.
  
  
• Showing the benefits behind innovation. While consumers may be wary of technological innovation in food production, this can be mitigated by showing people how they’ll benefit from innovative food manufacturing measures – for example, how innovation is enabling the production of higher quality, healthy food; or protecting the nutritional value of that food throughout processing and distribution. 

Ultimately, food manufacturers must bring consumers in – instead of holding them at arm’s length

When you shut people out and withhold information, they won’t trust you. 

So instead, manufacturers working to build trust must welcome people in. Let them see behind the curtain of the industry and give them access to real information about practices, processes, and the people who make the food. 

You tell us: What’s one thing that increases trust? 

What one thing do you think all food and beverage businesses could do to improve consumer trust?

Mark your calendars for our next newsletter on 20 September 2024. Is there anything specific you'd like to see covered? We'd love to hear from you! Click here to share your suggestions.