Post

Survey shows “sustainability” growth in consumer choices

More U.S. consumers are seeking foods made with “sustainable” practices, according to the 11th annual survey of the International Food Information Council Foundation. Their 2016 Food & Health Survey of 1-thousand adults showed 41% named sustainability as a top factor influencing their food purchases, up from 35% last year. Marianne Smith Edge, the council’s senior advisor of science and consumer insights, calls that a significant jump.

She told reporters Wednesday, “Four out of 10 Americans list conserving the natural habitat and reducing the amount of pesticides used as most important to them. Especially to women and those individuals over the age of thirty-five.”

When asked if they would pay more for “sustainably” produced foods, she says, the results were mixed:  Thirty-eight-percent said ‘yes’ and 28% said ‘no’. About one-third said they were not sure if they would pay more for foods grown sustainably.

Smith Edge says consumers who were more likely to pay more for “sustainable” foods had read or seen something in the last year that examined the food system or commonly held beliefs about diet, or both.