Cormac Nolan, Market Insight Specialist, Bord Bia – The Irish Food Board
There has been a barrage of surveys on consumer sentiment since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis. Separating out what behaviour will stick around after the crisis and what is temporary is an ongoing piece of work for Bord Bia and the Future Proofing channel on our COVID hub sets out the indicators being investigated in that area.
One of the sentiments that may be temporary but has consequences for producers and retailers now is around how consumers expect companies to behave towards staff and all areas of their supply chain.
In a global survey of 10,000 consumers for Edelman, 78% of people said they want businesses to act to protect their employees and the local community from the effects of the virus.
This links clearly to Bord Bia’s Consumer Lifestyle trend of Responsible Living, specifically the sub-trend ‘supply chain laid bare’.
Retail
Retailers are for the majority of consumers the sole point of contact with the food supply chain and their major concern when thinking about it. Through the crisis, retailers’ workforces have been redefined as essential and broadly esteemed.
The appearance of plexiglass shields at checkout queues to enter and sanitizer stations were physical manifestations of the efforts to protect staff and customers while continuing to trade.
Tesco, Dunnes and Aldi have all announced payment of 10% bonus hazard pay to staff. SuperValu are paying extra compensation to staff in the form of vouchers to be used in-store.
Musgraves have also partnered with the GAA in organising delivery for vulnerable members of the community around the country.
Protect the local community – sourcing and the supply chain
For a country which exports 90% of its food and drink, the danger of ‘community protection’ veering into nationalism and protectionism against imports is clear. In France and Italy, we have already seen significant political sentiment moving towards ‘buy French’ and ‘buy Italian’ movements.
While responding to the consumer sentiment by demonstrating employee protection and supply chain security, Irish exporters are going to have to counter this message with buyers.
Bord Bia’s research has been clear that consumers’ primary concern when buying food is safety and trust. Both of those qualities Irish produce can speak to with evidence. As the crisis abates, conversations with international buyers will rely on those proof points.
Sources
Edelman Special Report on Trust – https://www.edelman.com/research/edelman-trust-covid-19-demonstrates-essential-role-of-private-sector
Canvas8 – HOW ARE PEOPLE REACTING TO THE IMPACT OF COVID-19? – https://www.canvas8.com/content/2020/04/03/vox-pop-covid-19.html
