Local food is a current issue for consumers. In our research, people told us that they strongly identified buying locally with the idea of being a ‘responsible consumer.’ They like to buy local food because they want to keep money in the local economy, because they think it has a lower carbon footprint or just because they believe it to be fresher because it hasn’t travelled as far. However, a recent column in The Observer suggests that in many cases, none of these beliefs may actually be true.

It identifies two main problems with ostensibly ‘local’ food. The first problem is with the definition of local itself; according to The Observer many local claims are in fact ‘red herrings.’ In other words, they’re classic greenwash. The other problem is with packaging and distribution systems, which means foods that genuinely are locally produced may still have travelled hundreds of miles before returning to their area of origin and appearing on a supermarket shelf. So much for fresher food with a lower carbon footprint.

This lack of clarity presents both an obstacle and an opportunity to retailers. When making purchase decisions that have a responsible dimension - such as buying local food - belief is crucially important to consumers. If they believe their actions can make a difference, those actions bring a corresponding emotive pay-off. But if that belief is not present, there is far less incentive for a consumer to act on his or her responsible feelings. If a consumer feels that they cannot rely on the credibility of ‘local’ claims, then their belief is likely to be undermined. In this case, the recent increase in sales of local food could slow or even reverse.

On the other hand, it is obvious that a responsibly-motivated desire to buy local food does exist. Therefore, retailers with a clear and credible local offering stand to make significant gains in this regard, but they’ll need to avoid the kind of pitfalls outlined in The Observer. They’ll also need to pay attention to how they get the message out to consumers. Our research indicates that most of the responsible initiatives the Big Four supermarkets undertake – such as Asda’s local hubs scheme  – are not well known among their customers. But this is precisely the kind of information that is required to support consumer belief in the effectiveness of responsible, local purchasing.

Above all, local food is an issue of trust; trust in the provenance of your food. But trust is in short supply. If retailers offer food that genuinely is local – and effectively communicate that - consumers will buy it and brand equity will be enhanced. But if they fudge the issue, or make local claims that don’t stand up to close scrutiny, consumers will loose faith, trust in supermarkets will be eroded and the opportunity will be lost.

Tags:  local-food responsible supermarkets trust consumer

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