Healthy Besse of New Jersey (photo by Emily Roesly, courtesy of morguefile.com)

With frightening reports of contamination and foodborne illnesses arriving with alarming regularity it’s no surprise that a recent national survey of affluent consumers found safety to be their number one concern when purchasing food.

The majority of consumers surveyed are looking at labels and menus for assurances that undesirable things, such as antibiotics and artificial hormones, are not present. Food safety was especially important to women. Ethical claims are frequently linked to safety issues and of special importance to a “large subset of consumers,” according to the researchers.

The survey by Context Marketing, a San Francisco Bay Area consulting firm, did not include nutrition, focusing instead on “quality claims having to do with safety and health, as well as ethical considerations and their role in purchase decisions.” The firm’s research results were issued in a report, Beyond Organic – How Evolving Consumer Concerns Influence Food Purchases.

The researchers confirmed that price played a major role in decisions on purchasing specialty foods and making menu choices at restaurants, and it is the main reason for making a purchase at a supermarket. Still, educated and prosperous consumers are familiar with the issues behind the claims being made by producers, manufacturers and restaurants, and ethical behavior is vital to gaining consumer trust and loyalty.

Seventy-two percent (72%) of those surveyed say they are willing to pay “more for food that promises to be healthier, safer or produced to higher ethical standards.”

To view the report from Context Marketing cited above go to: Beyond Organic – How Evolving Consumer Concerns Influence Food Purchases

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