November 7, 2019

A Food Brand's Guide to: The Transparency Today's Consumers Need

Grasp key findings from FoodLogiQ’s survey of over 2,000 consumers in our latest E-Book, “A Food Brand’s Guide to What Consumers Care about in the Age of Transparency."

The consumer mindset about food has changed significantly in recent years. While diet fads come and go, consumers’ interest in healthy ingredients and concern about the origin of their food has graduated from a passing trend to a full shift in public consciousness. We are now living in an age of transparency.

The Influence of the Informed Consumer

Consumer interest in the origins and journey of their food doesn’t stop with borders. With globalization and increased imports from foreign suppliers, consumer expectations surrounding food quality and safety have dramatically risen in the past few years; and they are met with an i ncrease in regulation. Supplier verification is now a critical component of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The FDA has mandatory recall authority for all food products, along with more flexible standards for detaining products and halting potentially illegal operations.

As a result, today’s consumers are more informed than ever about the food they eat, as well as who creates and supplies it. This means that with just a few taps of a screen, consumers can immediately learn nearly anything they would ever want to know about a food company, from its ethical practices and animal treatment, to its labor practices. As a result, if your brand has ever been under fire for false information, low-quality ingredients or a major recall, consumers are aware. In addition, with in-store mobile search on the rise, rest assured that your customers are actively researching your products.

Building Consumer Trust and Loyalty

There are several things that consumers want to know and that will gain their trust, loyalty and purchasing power. However, there are also many consumer deal breakers to be aware of and, with careful planning, avoid. To shed additional light on this subject, FoodLogiQ conducted a national survey that tapped into how U.S. consumers feel about transparency-related issues. To meet rising consumer demands, it’s vital for food companies to institute full, end-to-end supply chain visibility. The speed of issue identification, resolution and reaction, as well as public communication is, and will continue to be, paramount. Modernizing your supply chain and optimizing your processes will allow you to not only provide your end consumers with transparency, but will also allow you to protect your brand and keep your customer base intact.