Few UK consumers worried about air freighted food: survey

Only a third of Britons believe that avoiding food produced far from home can have a major impact on slowing climate change, shows a new government survey.

Most people said recycling and using their car less were more effective ways of protecting the environment. The attitudes may explain why the food miles debate causing concern in the Kenyan horticultural industry has so far shown no impact on sales. There is growing awareness of how transport of food to the UK contributes to pollution.

But results of the survey commissioned by DEFRA, the UK’s Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, show that the majority of people do not see imported food as a major risk to the environment.

Only 32 per cent of the 3,600 people interviewed said that “buying food produced locally rather than abroad” could have a major impact on the environment while 9 per cent said such a move would have no impact on the UK’s contribution to climate change.

Nevertheless, 38 per cent of people claimed to make a point of checking where fruit and vegetables were grown before they bought them. This number is higher than that found in an earlier survey by research firm Mintel.

It said that one in five Britons tries to avoid buying food with high food miles by checking where the product was grown. However 21 per cent of those interviewed for the DEFRA study said that they “haven’t really thought about” buying food produced locally rather than abroad.

Many more people said air travel should be targeted in efforts to reduce climate change although only 29 per cent said they were making an effort to use their car less or fly less and almost a third said they “don’t really want to” fly less.

A much greater number, almost three quarters, said they were recycling more than before to contribute to reducing pollution. The survey also revealed strong awareness of ethical brands. It found that 81 per cent had heard of Fairtrade products and approximately half of those said they make an effort to buy them.

More than half said that they “try not to buy products from a company whose ethics they disagree with”. A smaller proportion, 45 per cent, said they “would pay more for environmentally friendly products”. Over a quarter disagreed.

Business Daily