Nine out of ten consumers believe food companies have a responsibility to make sure their diet is healthy, according to a consumer survey by PR firm Ingredient Communications.
More than 1,000 consumers worldwide were polled in an online survey by Surveygoo on behalf of Ingredient Communications.
When asked how much responsibility they believed food and drink companies have for ensuring they eat a healthy diet, 52 per cent said they had a lot and a further 37 per cent said they had some. Only 9 per cent of consumers thought food and drink companies had no responsibility at all.
Consumers in Asia were much more likely to place the burden of responsibility on food companies, with nearly seven in ten (68 per cent) saying food companies had a lot of responsibility for ensuring they had a healthy diet, compared with four in ten (39 per cent) of the westerners surveyed.
The survey also revealed that levels of trust in the food industry are relatively low compared with other sources of information about health and nutrition.
“Our research makes clear the scale of the challenge facing the food industry,” Ingredient Communications director Richard Clarke said.
“On the one hand, consumers expect food and drink manufacturers to demonstrate a commitment to helping them to eat healthily.
“On the other, many people distrust the information they provide. There’s no quick fix for this. Manufacturers need to continue to work hard to win the trust of consumers.
“Key to achieving this is the use of healthy, natural ingredients and embracing clean and clear labelling, as well as developing innovative new ways to demonstrate their commitment to promoting healthy diets. In time, this approach will pay off and we would expect levels of trust to rise.”
