OPINION7 November 2012

An alternative view on research & food labelling

Yesterday, Research published a comment piece on the role research could play in activating the UK government’s push to introduce a consistent system of front-of-pack food labelling nationally next year, Here, we offer an alternate view to that debate.

Yesterday, Research published a comment piece on the role research could play in activating the UK government’s push to introduce a consistent system of front-of-pack food labelling nationally next year, Here, we offer an alternate view to that debate

An alternate view to the role of research in shaping the government’s labelling strategy

Traffic light labelling is a small step in a positive direction and there is plenty of data to show that grocery shoppers like this style of labelling and find it helpful. Research published last year by DEFRA showed that 80 per cent of people rated health as the most important factor affecting their buying decisions.

Most shoppers – 82% – said they actively sought to buy healthy foods. The figures also indicated, though, that people’s preferences don’t always match what they ultimately buy, with price being a major factor in many people’s buying decisions, especially in the current climate.  In practise, though, anecdotally it would seem to be further down our list of priorities.

However, too much research focuses on one issue – such as labelling – in isolation, rather than looking at it as a whole. One of my colleagues undertook research some time ago with housewives, where each was asked to compare their last supermarket shop. 

With all of the produce on the table, they discussed what they had bought and why. They became quite competitive and in their efforts to win their impromptu ‘supermum’ competition, they became strong advocates for their products and the discussion was highly revealing.  Health was rarely part of the argument.  Price, offers, quantity, shelf-life, convenience came first.

And then even when health is considered, the consumer definition of health is still poorly defined.  In recent research we undertook, mum spent far more time than you would think possible trying to decide whether potatoes counted as one of your five a day.  Milk – vital for child health – is too often restricted because it is seen as a high fat food (even though full fat milk is still only 4% fat).  Most of them end up aiming for a balanced plate and call it a day.

It is going to be important to ensure that the consumer is educated to understand the information behind the labelling. A knee-jerk reaction to a product with a red label on it could be counter-productive. The word ‘fat’ on a product could turn off the consumer, even though some fat in a diet is essential.  Similarly, most products will contain an element of sugar, but some from natural sources like tomatoes rather than synthetic additives.

Brands are going to have to adopt a more holistic approach to health; ingredients may not be enough. Brands and retailers may have to work together to create a well-being experience which may involve the in-store experience – display, promotion, training and product presentation – as well as the brand itself.

There is evidence of this in some areas. Many multiples have revamped the way they display fresh produce so that it has a more market-like, natural feel and there has also been a move in the UK to balance the consumer’s desire for prepared meals with “semi ready-to-eat” meals. These products, with fresh ingredients that you can see when you buy them, are ready to take home and cook rather than just warm up. Tesco’s has had success with pre-prepared vegetables and meals in its Finest range as well as its City Kitchen prepared meals.

However, “Finest”, “City Kitchen” and those like them remain premium brands. So now that we are finally getting a universal and comprehensible labelling system, maybe it’s time for brands to look at the wider context of healthy eating and be able to demonstrate to consumers that you can buy and eat healthy products on a budget.

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