We need to work harder on building trust in food and farming

YouGov research shows that the UK food and agriculture industry needs to work harder to build consumer trust around provenance and sustainability. A new training programme has been launched to help the industry address these issues.

A recent consumer poll undertaken by YouGov on behalf of Twig has highlighted that the UK food and farming industry needs to focus more on building trust amongst some groups of Britons. The poll highlighted some having concerns around trust in food provenance, sustainability and health, as well some concerns over trust around animal welfare, the environment and greenhouse gas emissions.

Key results included:

• 39% of GB adults do not trust major food brands and supermarkets to tell the truth about where food comes from and the farms that produce it
• More than half (53%) of adults in GB do not trust major food brands and supermarkets to tell the truth about how sustainable specific foods are
• Half of adults (50%) in GB do not trust major food brands and supermarkets to tell the truth about how healthy specific foods are
• A quarter (26%) of adults in GB do not trust British farmers to adhere to high standards of animal welfare. More concerningly, this rises to 42% of 18–24-year-olds.
• 29% of adults in GB do not trust British farmers to protect and improve the surrounding natural environment, rising to 39% among 18–24-year-olds. One fifth (20%) of GB adults think that farmers don’t care about looking after the surrounding natural environment.
• 40% of adults in GB do not trust British farmers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with 38% thinking that farmers don’t care about reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• 43% of adults in GB do not think that farmers care about engaging with the general public.
• 11% of GB adults think that British farmers don’t care about producing safe food for consumers, rising to 15% for 18–24-year-olds.

In response to this, Twig has launched a training programme to help build trust in the UK food system – between industry stakeholders and with consumers. Exclusively licenced in the UK and Ireland, the proven Engage™ approach developed by the US-based Centre for Food Integrity (‘CFI’), focuses on how delegates can identify shared values to build trust and transparency – the foundation of progress.

Commenting on the development, Philip Gibson, Managing Director at Twig, said:

“The need for transformative change in the food system is widely acknowledged, but the scope and speed of that change is unprecedented. This requires collaboration between farmers, food processors and grocery retailers in a way that has never been seen before, but also means that effective consumer engagement around food is more important than ever. We regularly see high profile trust issues in the food sector – sometimes unfounded - and we have to do better as an industry at driving positive engagement and celebrate the UK’s food and farming sectors.

“CFI’s trust model is based on peer-reviewed research, which proves that values are 3 to 5 times more powerful in building trust than science and facts alone. Using this information, CFI has developed Engage™ training, based on their ‘Listen, Ask, Share’ approach. We are delighted to be partnering with them to bring this proven approach to the UK and Ireland to support agriculture and food organisations at this critical time. Without trust there can be no effective collaboration, so we are confident that this proven approach will help strengthen relationships across the food supply chain and help those engaging directly with consumers, delivering sustainable, secure food systems that consumers trust.”

ENDS

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2,260 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27th - 28th November 2024.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).