1. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747 ‘Consumer attitudes to Local Food and Drink’ Sandy Park 16th June, 2008

2. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747 Introduction  Aims and Objectives  Methodology  The Consumer Element  The Trade Element  Conclusions and Recommendations  Possible Future Work

3. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747 Aims and Objectives Aim:  Contribute to knowledge and understanding of factors influencing consumers attitudes and behaviours in the market for local and regional foods in England (PSPI not addressed). Objectives:  To characterise and evaluate the local and regional food industry  To understand factors influencing purchasing decisions  To identify and synthesise sources of data relating to consumption and marketing  To inform future commercial and public policies in the sector

4. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747 Methodology  Secondary Research  Primary qualitative:  20 consumer focus groups  130 in-depth trade interviews  Primary quantitative:  1,223 online consumer surveys  347 self-completion trade surveys

5. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747 Consumer Element

6. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Defining the concepts of ‘local’ and ‘regional’ food and drink  Actual and intended buying behaviour (for use at home and eating out)  Reasons for buying and barriers to purchasing local and regional food and drink  Factors influencing buying behaviour  Classification of local and regional food and drink buyers Main Topics

7. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Qualitative:  20 focus groups across the 9 English regions, urban and rural  Homogenous by lifestyle, gender and social group  Quantitative:  1,223 online respondents  Interlocking quota sample Research Process

8. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747 Local  Local produce generally relates to the immediate vicinity – almost universally associated with rural or close to rural areas Regional  Regional produce defined as coming from specific geographical area – quality and premium associations based on tradition and reputation  E.g. Welsh Lamb, Kentish strawberries, Devon Cream  Urban and rural differences Definition of Local & Regional Food & Drink

9. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747 Local Food and Drink  Actual and intended purchasing frequency is variable  Overall quite high when buying for home use  Not when eating out Regional Food and Drink  Similar pattern, but smaller proportion actually buying Types of produce, occasions and outlets Actual and Intended Buying Behaviour

10. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Reasons for buying:  Support for local economy  Food and drink characteristics: taste, freshness and provenance  Sustainability, reduced pollution and food miles  Barriers include:  Cost  Availability, accessibility, and inconvenience  Limited information and promotion  Attitudes generally positive when buying for home  Not always translated into actual buying behaviour  Negative eating out effects were associated with lack of information and expense Reasons for Buying and Barriers to Purchasing

11. Devotees (23%)  More women  More 45+  More rural  Fewer London and NW  More SW, EA and Y&H  More married  More degrees and A levels Persisters (25%)  More men  More 55+  More rural  Fewer 35-44  Fewer London  More SW and EA  More £15-25,000  Fewer C1  Fewer degrees Abstainers (36%)  More women  More 18-44  More urban  More London, SE and NW  Fewer SW and EA  More single  More inner city and town centre  More £30-50,000 income  More C1 Cynics (16%)  More men  More 55+ and 35-44  More urban/inner city  Fewer SW  More GCSEs Classification of Local & Regional Food & Drink Buyers

12. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747 Trade Element

13. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Current patterns of local and regional food and drink purchasing  Motivations and barriers to local and regional food and drink purchasing  Local and regional food and drink buying criteria  Decision making processes and units  Planned future for local and regional food and drink In the context of:  General issues with respect to local and regional food and drink  Specific issues with respect to the respondent’s organisation Main Topics

14. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Face to face interviews included all major retailers, wholesalers, major food service operators, trade associations and individual businesses  Qualitative - 130 respondents  30 face-to-face  100 tele-depth  Quantitative - 347 respondents  65% independent retail/foodservice  35% larger groups  Roughly split 50% retail, 50% foodservice Research Process

15. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Varies:  Between 30-50 mile radius/within County for local  Within Counties or Region for regional e.g. EAFG, ToW, DY/YHRFG  Function of scale of operation  Larger = larger radius  Smaller=smaller radius Definition of Local & Regional Food & Drink

16. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Growing in importance  Mainly in larger retail/foodservice  Independents less so  Growth will continue both for local and regional food and drink Relative Importance of Local & Regional Food & Drink

17. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Qualitative - trust, freshness/quality, environment, provenance, local economy, consumer demand  Quantitative – local economy, freshness, quality, consumer demand  Significant changes in purchasing structures for larger retail/foodservice operators  Concerns over availability, logistics and QA, mainly with the larger operators Purchasing Behaviour: Including Commercial & Non Commercial Drivers

18. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Higher consumer demand  Lower price of products  Better quality and range of products  Support for the local economy Future Purchasing Behaviour

19. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Majority actively promote local food and drink  Most common methods were in-store/establishment point of sale  Local offer alongside other brands  Low awareness from the trade of the RFGs  Local and regional food and drink tends to be fresh product, veg, dairy and meat and local beers/wines  Market value estimated to be £4bn with £2.5bn retail/foodservice and £1.5bn farm shops, markets and mail order Marketing and Promotion of Local & Regional Food & Drink

24. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747 Conclusions, Recommendations and Possible Future Work

25. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Definitions of local and regional similar across consumer and trade  Growing demand for local and regional food and drink - consumer led, based on positive attitudes towards produce  But positive attitudes may not always translate into buying behaviour  Differences between buyers exist Conclusions

26. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Local and regional food purchasers can be classified into four main consumer segments  Barriers to consumer buying exacerbated by logistical and distribution implications  Significance of larger trade players for future growth  Mechanisms needed to support/increase availability Conclusions

27. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Targeted marketing strategy  Educating consumers  Marketing support for specialist outlets in urban areas  Overcoming restrictions in the supply chain and raising awareness of accessibility by large scale food trade (both retail and food service) Recommendations

28. SERIO, 16 Portland Villas, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA Tel:01752 232747  Potential for further growth evidenced through this research but other areas of research may facilitate further understanding around:  How consumers make trade off decisions  Viability of using retailer and food service loyalty scheme databases  Models for regionally based distribution networks Possible Future Work