Buy local; save the bees; avoid GMOs: Americans’ top food-related causes

For companies to successfully fulfill [consumer demand for transparency], they need to be in tune to what causes and concerns consumers care about. Why? Because what consumers care about today will fuel the transparency claims of tomorrow.

So what do consumers care about? And what topics are currently top-of-mind or rising in ranks? A recent Nielsen study identified 16 hot topics related to today’s food/grocery industry and noted Americans’ level of awareness and interest in these topics. The research showed that social awareness varied widely, with no one topic tipping the majority.

Within this study, buying local had the highest consumer awareness, topping the chart at 46%….Aligned with their personal beliefs, consumers are purchasing products that matter most to them. [D]ollar sales of locally grown/sourced (3.6%), no added sugar (1.8%), free from GMO (7.8%) and antibiotic free (3.6%) products were all up during the 52-week period ending Dec 29. 2018.

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Interestingly though, despite consumers’ awareness of the decline in bee populations, dollar sales of bee byproducts such as food items with honey in them have grown by 39% over the past year.

Read full, original article: WHAT FOOD-RELATED CAUSES DO U.S. CONSUMERS CARE ABOUT TODAY?