Sullivan Higdon & Sink, a marketing firm specializing in food and agriculture, recently conducted an email survey which found out that trusted food authorities and government agencies less than fellow consumers and food makers.
The firm surveyed over 2000 Americans 18 years and older who were responsible for food decisions in their households, such as taking trips to grocery stores and purchasing food. Furthermore, this is the firm's third related survey. Similar ones were done in 2012 and 2014, allowing the firm to track changes in the trends in recent years.
Though the firm surveyed marketing trends in general, the most glaring statistics were in relation to food and health experts, along with government agencies. This is so simply because the trust consumers had in them decreased. These were the results:
- Trust in the medical community decreased by three, from 57 to 54 percent.
- Trust in the United States Department of Agriculture decreased by seven, from 59 to 52 percent.
- Likewise, trust in the academic community decreased by seven, from 51 to 44 percent.
Only the USA Food and Drug Administration had an increase, from 57 to 60 percent. Note that these agencies are more likely to present unbiased data and scientific information than other sources.
According to the study, the most trusted sources of food production information were none other than friends and family, which stood at 68%. Meanwhile, farmers placed at a close second, with 60 percent considering them trustworthy - however, the increase was only minuscule, only by two percent from 2012.
The study also tackled the importance of various food labels. At least 69 percent of the respondents considered the label "fresh" to be extremely important. Meanwhile, 50 percent or less considered other labels such as non-GMO, natural, and no artificial flavors to hold a high degree of importance.
Overall, the study proved that word-of-mouth is a prevailing factor in consumer behavior and scientific studies are not much of a priority compared to it.
