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| Six in 10 have changed shopping habits since horsemeat scandal, survey finds | Six in 10 have changed shopping habits since horsemeat scandal, survey finds |
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| Six in 10 consumers say they have changed their shopping habits as a result of the horsemeat scandal, according to a new survey which shows their confidence in the food industry has been seriously dented by the affair. | Six in 10 consumers say they have changed their shopping habits as a result of the horsemeat scandal, according to a new survey which shows their confidence in the food industry has been seriously dented by the affair. |
| The poll for the consumer group Which? reveals that consumer trust in the industry has fallen by a quarter (24%), with 30% now buying less processed meat and a quarter (24%) buying fewer ready meals with meat in or choosing vegetarian options. | The poll for the consumer group Which? reveals that consumer trust in the industry has fallen by a quarter (24%), with 30% now buying less processed meat and a quarter (24%) buying fewer ready meals with meat in or choosing vegetarian options. |
| As sales of frozen burgers have tumbled amid further evidence of horsemeat in a range of meat products including ready meals, Quorn – the UK's biggest vegetarian ready meal brand – said last week that it had seen sales growth more than double in the second half of February as shoppers snapped up its burgers, mince and sausages made from a form of fungus. | As sales of frozen burgers have tumbled amid further evidence of horsemeat in a range of meat products including ready meals, Quorn – the UK's biggest vegetarian ready meal brand – said last week that it had seen sales growth more than double in the second half of February as shoppers snapped up its burgers, mince and sausages made from a form of fungus. |
| In the Which? survey two-thirds of people (68%) said they did not think the government had given enough attention to enforcing labelling laws, while half of consumers (50%) said they were not confident that ingredient information was accurate. Some 44% said they now looked at ingredient labelling more on food containing meat, with 83% agreeing that country of origin labelling should be required on meat products. | In the Which? survey two-thirds of people (68%) said they did not think the government had given enough attention to enforcing labelling laws, while half of consumers (50%) said they were not confident that ingredient information was accurate. Some 44% said they now looked at ingredient labelling more on food containing meat, with 83% agreeing that country of origin labelling should be required on meat products. |
| Confidence in food safety has also taken a hit, the poll reveals, dropping from nine in 10 feeling confident when buying products in the supermarket before the scandal broke to seven in 10 feeling confident now. | Confidence in food safety has also taken a hit, the poll reveals, dropping from nine in 10 feeling confident when buying products in the supermarket before the scandal broke to seven in 10 feeling confident now. |
| The Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: "The horsemeat scandal exposed the need for urgent changes to the way food fraud is detected and standards are enforced. These serious failings must be put right if consumers are to feel fully confident in the food they are buying once more. | The Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: "The horsemeat scandal exposed the need for urgent changes to the way food fraud is detected and standards are enforced. These serious failings must be put right if consumers are to feel fully confident in the food they are buying once more. |
| "Ministers must ensure that everyone involved, including their own departments, the FSA [Food Standards Agency], the food industry and local authorities, are crystal clear about their responsibility to protect consumers and are properly equipped to do so." | "Ministers must ensure that everyone involved, including their own departments, the FSA [Food Standards Agency], the food industry and local authorities, are crystal clear about their responsibility to protect consumers and are properly equipped to do so." |
| Which? is calling on the government to take a number of urgent steps to improve consumer confidence and avoid a future food crisis on this scale. It wants tougher enforcement – such as clear disincentives for illegal practices with tough penalties for those prosecuted – and clearer food labelling, proposing that food labelling policy (now with the farming ministry Defra) be returned to the FSA. | Which? is calling on the government to take a number of urgent steps to improve consumer confidence and avoid a future food crisis on this scale. It wants tougher enforcement – such as clear disincentives for illegal practices with tough penalties for those prosecuted – and clearer food labelling, proposing that food labelling policy (now with the farming ministry Defra) be returned to the FSA. |
| It said: "The scandal shows this split causes unnecessary confusion and complication. The government should now move responsibility for labelling and standards responsibilities back to the FSA. Consumers should know what's in their food and where it's from. The government should push for the EU-wide country-of-origin labelling to cover processed meat used in meat products, like ready meals. It should also scrap its plans to drop national rules requiring clear ingredient labels for meat sold loose, like in a delicatessen." | It said: "The scandal shows this split causes unnecessary confusion and complication. The government should now move responsibility for labelling and standards responsibilities back to the FSA. Consumers should know what's in their food and where it's from. The government should push for the EU-wide country-of-origin labelling to cover processed meat used in meat products, like ready meals. It should also scrap its plans to drop national rules requiring clear ingredient labels for meat sold loose, like in a delicatessen." |
| • For the survey Populus interviewed 2,064 UK adults online between 22 and 24 February 2013, adjusting data to be demographically representative of all UK adults. | • For the survey Populus interviewed 2,064 UK adults online between 22 and 24 February 2013, adjusting data to be demographically representative of all UK adults. |
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