Since news of the horse meat scandal broke, more customers have been shopping at local independents where they can trust the origin of the produce they’re buying. This isn’t surprising – some companies (especially larger ones) can be very secretive about what their foods really contain – a worrying practice, especially for health-conscious consumers and sustainably-minded shoppers.
As customers are increasingly going local, larger producers are experiencing a drop in sales. From 2009 to 2014 the US’25 biggest food and drink retailers saw their share of the market drop from 49.4% to 45.1%. This is indicative of a changing landscape: consumer trust in the food industry has been damaged, leaving them no other choice but to switch up how they shop and what they buy.
If these producers want to regain our trust, why aren’t they being more open and honest about the food they stock? They need to increase transparency and start being up-front with consumers about what their products contain, and the origin of their ingredients.
When the food industry stops spouting lies and starts being honest about how their products are made, they might just be able to start earning back our trust.