Marketers urged to answer consumer calls for more information and step-up education efforts
London, 21 March: The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) are urging food and drink marketers to answer consumer calls for more information on the products they sell. Despite the introduction of a standardised traffic light food labelling system in 2013, there remains confusion leaving consumers at risk of making poor choices around healthy eating.
These are the findings of a study commissioned by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). @CIMinfo The research, conducted by @YouGov and supported by the Marketing Trust, explores both consumer and industry attitudes towards food labelling.
Despite three quarters (76 per cent) of consumers claiming to understand the traffic light food labelling system, the majority of respondents answered four out of five questions on the labelling system incorrectly.
Over two thirds (70 per cent) of respondents said they expect manufacturers and food and drink brands to do more to explain what is in the products they sell and 59 per cent say that retailers should provide clearer information to shoppers.
Information is difficult to understand
Furthermore, over half of respondents said that current nutritional information is difficult to understand but that they would take more notice of the nutritional content of food if it was clearer. This is underpinned by almost 40 per cent of those working within the food and drink industry agreeing that it is difficult for consumers to find the information they need, and over 80 per cent reporting that they themselves have seen abuses of imagery or words on packaging to suggest a product is healthier than it is.
An indication of further confusion was revealed by almost 50 per cent of marketers admitting there is ‘some way to go’ in their understanding of the impact that ingredients, nutritional information, food content and packaging design has on consumer purchase behaviour.
Healthy living and improved diets
In a clear sign that both Government and industry efforts to promote healthy eating need to move beyond labelling, a vast majority of industry practitioners (85 per cent) felt strongly that promoting healthy living and improved diets would be best achieved by investing in consumer education and information. This sentiment is echoed by consumers, with 77 per cent stating that following a healthy and balanced diet is the responsibility of the individual, not regulators.
Positively, three quarters (75 per cent) of brands, manufacturers and retailers working within the food and drinks industry have made healthy living and consumer behaviour change a clear and called-out marketing objective for 2014. In addition to this, 43 per cent of industry practitioners report that their investment in consumer education initiatives increased over the last 12 months, and 57 per cent state that investment is set to grow over the coming 12 months.
CIM reveals widespread confusion over food labelling http://t.co/vSB2WdShgR … pic.twitter.com/U2k0JvJKcm
— Will Corry (@slievemore) March 24, 2014
While this commitment from business is encouraging, many organisations are still largely using limited methods and channels such as on-pack information and consumer-facing websites to do this. Meanwhile, only 54 per cent of organisations have formal marketing policies or company standards governing consumer education.
CIM are urging brands, retailers and manufacturers to take time to reassess how best to utilise their investment and to work more collaboratively with Government in efforts to drive their consumer education initiatives.
Thomas Brown, Associate Director, Research and Insights, CIM comments: “While the traffic light system has the potential to be a useful tool for consumers, it’s not sufficient as a standalone measure. We believe that the industry and Government need to work in partnership to drive educational programmes designed to help consumers make more informed and confident purchasing decisions.
“While consumers don’t want a heavy-handed response from Government when it comes to managing their diets, it is clear from our research that there is more work to be done to improve the effectiveness of existing regulations and misunderstanding of nutritional information and labelling tools like the traffic light system.
“A key priority for industry will be to not only increase investment in consumer education initiatives, but to do this in increasingly innovative and engaging ways beyond just packaging.”
Louise Vacher, Consulting Director at YouGov added: “It’s encouraging to see that there is an increase in consumer awareness and the desire to make healthier purchases. It’s therefore crucial that consumers not only understand the traffic light system, but feel equipped to accurately interpret and apply this information, and this research suggests there is more work to be done.”
A study commissioned by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). @CIMinfo The research, conducted by @YouGov and supported by the Marketing Trust, explores both consumer and industry attitudes towards food labelling.
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