Local Is Still Best
 The increasing availability of local quality foods is driving sales of more natural, fresher foods with a clear provenance, according to a new report by Food from Britain (FFB) unveiled today (21st March 2006) at Food and Drink Expo, the main event in the UK’s 2006 food and drink exhibitions calendar.
The exclusive research, conducted by international food and drink experts IGD, which asked 2,000 consumers for their views was commissioned by Food from Britain and supported by William Reed Exhibitions. It shows that since March 2005, the percentage of shoppers claiming to buy local food and drink has increased by 6% (year on year growth), with almost two-thirds of shoppers (65%) now buying local, and a further 9% expressing an interest in buying if availability was better.
The definition of ‘local’ differed by region according to consumers, with residents from the devolved nations being most nationalistic (map provided in Notes to Editor). Consumers in both Wales and Scotland described ‘local’ as being from their countries, while most participants from England related the produce to its county of origin.
Local produce merchandised in a supermarket continues to be the preferred place amongst buyers to get local food, with almost half of consumers citing this as their favoured retail outlet. A significant improvement in availability in these outlets is helping to drive growth. Farm shops (25%), butchers (24%) and farmers markets (21%) are still popular choices for local purchases, illustrating that there is a need for different purchasing channels when it comes to local food.
Whilst vegetables and fruit are still key categories, there is a move towards cross category purchasing with a demand for cooked meat products such as pies and pasties, and other fresh produce including meat, poultry and eggs. The purchase of more specialised products, such as frozen desserts, alcoholic and soft drinks is also on the increase offering significant future opportunities for producers.
Top of the reasons to buy local is still freshness, affecting the purchasing behaviour of 64% of shoppers, closely followed by support for local producers (31%) and a concern for the environment (25%). Other key triggers include taste (20%) and quality (16%).
A significant opportunity is being missed by many foodservice outlets, with almost three quarters of consumers wanting to see locally sourced foods named on menus, in particular, vegetables, meat and poultry. FFB is urging pubs and restaurants to adapt to this demand, while also alerting suppliers to the opportunity.
According to David McNair, Chief Executive of Food from Britain: “This research gives us a clear indication that the work being done to promote awareness of regional foods is having an impact. The increased availability of regional foods is having a clear impact on sales, but there are still significant opportunities out there for producers, retailers and foodservice professionals. These are exciting times for the country’s small producers and farmers, but key to this success is continuing to provide access to places selling local foods, whether this is through supermarkets, convenience stores or restaurants.”
The research is available to download free from www.foodfrombritain.co.uk
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