The UK public is regaining confidence in the quality and standards of food in the UK, with Red Tractor’s fourth ‘Trust in Food Index’ showing that 75% of UK adults now say they trust food in the UK.
This is a climb up from 71% in 2023 but still 6% lower than 2021 levels. The 2024 figure rises further, reaching 91% when consumers are asked whether they trust food exclusively produced within the UK.
The index, which draws responses from more than 3,500 UK consumers, also revealed that more people now trust UK food over NHS care, water from the tap or any other core UK service or utility. Trust in NHS care has seen a sharp fall from 81% in 2021 to 70% today, while trust in water supplies has dropped from 81% to 73% during the same period.
Confidence in UK food and drink has risen across all aspects of UK food production and assurance. Today, 83% of adults say they believe food produced in the UK is safe vs 72% in 2023; while 81% say it is good quality vs 73% 2023 figures; and 74% report they are confident that UK food is traceable through the supply chain vs 64% in 2023.
I think the UK and Europe have some of the strictest regulations on food and drink, from growing, transporting, storing, labelling and cooking. You do occasionally hear about recalls, but it’s fairly rare and only serves to show how seriously companies take food standards.
Survey respondent, Red Tractor 2024 Trust in Food Index
Trust in farmers
Whilst UK farmers have been facing significant headwinds, including rising costs, new taxes, and poor harvests, the value they bring to UK food production is evident to consumers.
The findings show that 85% of adults say they trust UK farmers, compared to just 9% of whom express distrust.
Animal welfare remains the most important aspect of food production for UK consumers, and 72% of adults say UK farmers follow good animal welfare standards.
Attitudes towards food assurance schemes
Amidst an RSPCA backlash, which has seen many of the charities celebrity advocators turn their backs on the scheme and the co-founder of Veganuary, Matthew Glover, initiate a damning advertising campaign targeting at the RSPCA Assured label, Red Tractor’s index showed food assurance and inspection schemes continue to play a vital role in providing trust.
The results found that 72% of adults consider assurance labels a reason to trust food, and 77% say labels showing where food comes from helps build trust.
Meanwhile the importance of the Red Tractor logo when choosing food has risen to its highest level in the four years since the Trust in Food Index began. The survey showed that 58% of consumers say the Red Tractor logo is important to them when making choices on what food to buy, up from 51% in 2023.
This follows calls made by Professor Chris Elliott at the 2020 NFU annual conference that labels such as Red Tractor, Fairtrade and RSCPA Assured are too confusing and no longer drive purchasing decisions.
The poll shows that 67% of consumers recognise the Red Tractor logo, with only the Fairtrade (78%) and British Lion (69%) kitemarks gaining wider recognition.
Commenting, Jim Moseley, chief executive officer of Red Tractor congratulated the food sector for its resilience during particular difficult times.
“The past four years have been brutal for almost everyone in the food industry – from farmers fighting to put food on our plates, through to shoppers battling against a cost-of-living crisis. Not since the foot and mouth crisis over 20 years ago has the UK food industry had so much to contend with,” Moseley said.
“UK farmers have been at the forefront of this struggle, who have faced tougher weather, regulation and input costs to doing business. Yet, despite the extremely challenging environment, farmers’ continued efforts to work to some of the highest standards in the world has played a significant role in driving a resurgence of consumer trust in UK food.
“In the past, after periods of pressure like this, we’ve seen trust in food fall as standards have slipped or as people have had to trade down to cheaper items or supermarkets. What these findings show is that this time, the UK food has come through the storm: UK shoppers are incredibly confident in the standards of food produced and sold in the UK, trusting all UK-produced food at every price point in all supermarkets.
“It should be a source of huge pride to everyone involved in food production in the UK that food is now more trusted than water or any other basic service we rely on every day.”
