Restaurants, fast-food outlets and other foodservice companies have been urged by the National Pig Association (NPA) to follow the lead of the country’s supermarkets by sourcing more British meat and promoting the fact to diners.
NPA says that, according to a new data, supermarkets, with their pro-British meat stance and publicity, are “stealing a lead on restaurants and fast-food chains when it comes to gaining public trust”.
The new data shows that nearly 70% of shoppers trust the meat they buy in supermarkets either a lot or a fair amount. This compares with only 58% trusting the meat they are served in restaurants and 17% in fast-food outlets.
“If foodservice companies want the public to trust them to a similar degree, the answer is staring them in the face,” said NPA chairman, Richard Lister. “They should copy the retailers and serve British meat instead of imported meat from continental cold stores.”
NPA also says that many foodservice outlets already have a British-only rule for the fresh pork they serve, but fail to inform customers.
“That’s crazy,” said NPA chief executive, Dr Zoe Davies. “All the evidence shows customers want British meat because they trust its provenance and its quality, and they are even prepared to pay a bit more for it, just as they do in supermarkets.
“So when restaurants and fast-food outlets make a point of sourcing British, they should always say so on their menus and in their advertising, and if they do, this new research shows their customers will respond positively.”
The data quoted by NPA is drawn from YouGov research on consumer trust, released by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
