Consumers dissatisfied with food manufacturers: UL study

Food manufacturers are preoccupied with food safety, while consumers think that food manufacturers are not making better products today than five years ago, according to a global study from Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

The study, Navigating the Product Mindset, involved 2430 quantitative interviews with manufacturers and consumers in China, Germany, India and the United States.

Food safety was the overriding concern for food manufacturers, with most feeling that product safety has the largest impact on their success in the marketplace, while 31% believe that product safety will remain their most important consideration into the future.

This was reflected in consumer responses, with their primary safety concerns relating to foodborne illness, chemical additives and sanitary conditions. However, 76% of consumers interviewed found it difficult to locate product safety information about fresh food products like meat and fish.

When questioned about environmentally friendly products, the majority of manufacturers saw them as being profitable or becoming profitable into the future. Interestingly, Chinese and Indian manufacturers were the most optimistic about environmentally friendly products being profitable, while American manufacturers expressed the greatest concern on this topic.

While the consumers involved in the study generally felt the safety of food products has improved or stayed the same over the last two years, they overwhelmingly felt that food manufacturers can do a better job. The study reported that “they perceive that manufacturers do not take adequate steps to ensure environmentally friendly manufacturing procedures are followed or conduct thorough testing before releasing products into the marketplace”.

The report revealed manufacturers generally believe that consumers are “commanding greater power and becoming more informed”. The growing influence of consumers was also reflected in manufacturers’ belief that consumer claims are the most valuable type of endorsement.

The complete study can be found at http://ul.com/global/eng/pages/corporate/aboutul/noteworthy/productmindset/download/.