Current meat issues – the consumer view

1. Current meat issues – the consumer view Sue Davies Chief Policy Adviser

2. Current meat issues – the consumer view • Which? Future of Food Debate and consumer priorities • The consumer response to the horsemeat affair • Lessons and action needed

3. The Which? Future of Food Debate • Four 2 day juries (12 to 14 people) in September 2012 in Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow and London. • Four key challenges in the context of wider food issues: • Diet and health • Environmental issues • Food prices rises and volatility • Food security and future production options • Supplemented by: • a quantitative and representative survey of over 2000 people (October 2012) • a travelling video booth (Cambridge, Edinburgh, Manchester, Swansea) • a quantitative and representative survey of over 2000 people following the horsemeat incidents (February 2013).

4. Most important factors when buying food in the supermarket Q. When shopping for food in the supermarket, how important or unimportant are each of the following factors when choosing what products to buy? Base: All respondents (2114)

5. Most important factors when eating out Q. When choosing food when eating out how important or unimportant are each of the following factors when choosing what products to buy? Base: All respondents (2114)

6. Issues that have become more or less important in the economic climate Less important due to the economic climate More important due to the economic climate Q. Has the current economic climate made any of the following factors more or less important to you when shopping for food in the supermarket?Base: All respondents (2114 )

7. Issues that have become more or less important in the current economic climate when buying meat/ meat products (October 2012) Less likely to purchase due to the economic climate More likely to purchase due to the economic climate Q. Has the current economic climate made you more likely or less likely to purchase the following types of meat/ meat products, or has it made no difference? Base: All respondents exclu n/a

8. “A lot of the kind of information people got [about environmental impact of food], they felt they hadn’t heard before, it was news to them. We thought it should be more in the public domain, that kind of information.” (Glasgow) Key themes to emerge from the citizens’ juries • Price dominated people’s choices, but quality and taste were also key. • People were generally aware of diet and health issues but had little awareness of concerns around food security and sustainability. • Once explained, many people became engaged and wanted more information. • There was a call for greater government leadership – strategy and co-ordination. • People thought there needed to be a shared responsibility. • People thought there needed to be a mixed approach to food production methods. • Greater transparency was called for around new technologies. • Clearer information was wanted about how to make more sustainable choices.

9. Most people feel they need more information on the quality of the ingredients in the food they buy Q. When shopping for food in the supermarket do you feel you need any more information about the following, or not? Base: All respondents (2114 )

10. Limited awareness of existing ethical and environmental labelling schemes (October 2012) Q. Before today, which if any, of the following food labelling schemes have you heard of? Base: All respondents (2114)

11. Horsemeat – key findings • Consumer trust in the food industry dropped by a quarter (24%) • More than half of consumers said they had changed their shopping habits. • Half of consumers are not confident that ingredient information is accurate. • Over two thirds of people don’t think the Government has been giving enough attention to enforcing labelling laws.

12. Horsemeat: Confidence in food safety has taken a significant hit in the last 4 months. Food bought in a supermarket Food bought when eating out Oct 2012 Feb 2013 Oct 2012 Feb 2013 Q. How confident are you generally in the safety of the food you buy in the supermarket and when eating out (for example restaurants and cafes)? Base: All respondents, 2012 (2114); 2013 2064

13. Trust in the food/grocery sector The percentage of people who say they trust food/ groceries sector to act in the best interest has significantly increased since February, however it is still significantly lower than it was in January - before the horsemeat scandal. Horsemeat scandal Consumer Tracker data

14. Impact on food choicesA quarter of people were buying less processed meat and a fifth less ready meals with meat as an ingredient. • Nets • Buy less processed meat: 30% • Buy meat from butchers/ farmers markets: 23% • Changed where they shop for some meat: 25% • Buy better quality/ more expensive meat: 15% • Buy less meat: 39% • Buy less ready meals which have meat as ingredient/ choose vegetarian meals: 24% Q: Has the occurrence of horse meat in food products, led you to do any of the following, or not?

15. Meat suppliers are seen to be primarily responsible for the contamination of meat products with horse meat. However 7 in 10 think that the government hasn’t been giving enough attention to enforcing labelling laws and half say that consumers should have questioned how some meat was so cheap to buy. Q. Who do you think is primarily responsible for the contamination of meat products with horse meat? Base: all respondents (2064). Q5. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following satements? Base: all respondents (2064)

16. Use of labels

17. Horsemeat: two thirds of people are concerned about what other products may be affected in a similar way Q. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following satements? Base: all respondents (2064)

18. Horsemeat – lessons and action needed • Surveillance: food fraud surveillance needs to be pro-active and better co-ordinated • Intelligence-led, but also speculative testing is needed in areas where there may be an incentive for fraud • Adequate resources to development of analytical methods • Co-ordination between local authorities, FSA and Defra • Improved sharing of information at EU level – rapid alert system for food standards as well as fraud • Must ensure that the review of the Official Controls regulation provides clarity

19. Horsemeat – lessons and action needed • Enforcement: food law enforcement has to be tougher and given greater priority • Defra and FSA proposals to decriminalise failure to comply with food labelling legislation need to be scrapped • Forthcoming review of EU hygiene legislation, including rules on meat inspection and wider controls on slaughterhouses needs to ensure adequate independent oversight • Tougher penalties are needed for non-compliance (and fit the financial gain from the violation as proposed in the Official Controls proposals)

20. Horsemeat – lessons and action needed • Regulation: legislation needs to be tightened up to ensure that there are adequate industry checks in place • Traceability requirements need to be backed up by regular food industry testing • FSA needs to have powers to require testing, disclosure of results and to enter food premises • Ethical and cultural aspects of what we eat needs to be respected eg. proposals for regulation of cloned animals/ products from clones

21. Horsemeat – lessons and action needed • Information: clearer information is needed for consumers about what is in food and where it comes from • Country of origin labelling needs to be extended to cover meat in meat products • Plans to scrap national rules requiring clear labelling of meat products sold loose need to be abandoned • Food standards generally need to be given greater priority

22. Horsemeat – lessons and action needed • Government responsibilities: food labelling and standards policy should be returned to the FSA • The FSA should once again have responsibility for food labelling, standards and nutrition as well as safety in England • In the meantime, effective co-ordination between the FSA and Defra needs to be ensured.