Food for thoughtConsumer attitudes, behaviours and concerns on food

2 Food for thought

This overview into food habits is sourced

from Food 360, a report produced in

partnership between TNS and SIAL.

Methodology

Countries: France, Germany, Spain, UK,

USA, urban Russia and urban China

Urban Russia: towns 100,000+ inhabitants,

Urban China (tier 1, 2 and 3 cities): larger &

with above average income and education

Sample size: c. 1000 in each country

Demographic: 18+ (18-55 in China)

Fieldwork: June 2012

Data collection: Interviews carried out online

© 2013 TNS 3

Introduction

TNS has more conversations with the world’s consumers than anyone else. Here we share some of the findings from our global survey, speaking to 7000 individuals about their attitudes and behaviours relating to diet, mealtimes and concerns.

Our love of food and cooking co-exists

with worries about food safety. Cooking oil

dredged from sewers in China for resale,

salmonella in American peanuts, mislabelled

horsemeat; there is a media diet of food

safety scares and it concerns us. Half of us

say we feel it likely that the food we eat will

harm our health, a figure that rises to 93%

in China!

We are also aware that our diet choices

affect our health. Obesity is the most

mentioned issue with 78% of us watching

what we eat. It is perhaps unsurprising

therefore that we prefer natural ingredients

and find reassurance in words like ‘100%

natural’, and ‘no preservatives’.

4 Food for thought

At my place of work / learning

At friends or familyWalking, in the street, while shopping or while travelling

In a café, bar, restaurant, or fast food restaurant

At the cinema or leisure venue

45

30 8

39

9

% of people eating ‘at least one meal’ in each of these places regardless of day

Food for thought4

Eating out of home is well

established, especially at lunch time.

Regardless of meal, China scores

morehighly against all measures.

Eating at least one meal out (Mon – Fri %)

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Eating out is commonplace

� 7 country average � Urban China

24 5455 83

5226

© 2013 TNS 5

Food and health

There is a significant belief that food can

damage your health. It is highest in China;

possibly a legitimate response to the need

to improve food safety standards – an issue

acknowledged by the Chinese authorities

and reflected in the EIU Global Food Security

index, where China comes 40th in the world

ranking for food quality and safety. French

fears may be slightly overplayed – in that

same study France takes second spot for

quality and safety.

I am at risk of the foodthat I eat damaging my health (%)

93

59

55

44

39

33

33

Urban China

France

Urban Russia

Germany

USA

Spain

UK

40

2

27

21

3

5

17

Food quality and safety country rank*

*EIU Global Food Security Index, June – September 2012

6 Food for thought

Confident yet concerned

There is high awareness of the risks that

food can pose to health. Germans are

the least concerned, Chinese the most.

Cancer is a significant concern in China

with 60% citing this as a probable risk.

Food poisoning is particular concern in

Russia and China (74%). Despite high

risk awareness most people (84%) are

‘confident in the quality of the food we

eat.’ However it is a heavily qualified

confidence: only 11% are completely

confident in the quality of their food.

The main health risks

attributed to food (%)

Obesity

High cholesterol

Diabetes

Food poisoning

Cardiovascular disease

High blood pressure

Food allergies

Lack of calcium

Cancer

Alzheimers

78

75

58

57

56

51

49

35

34

10

© 2013 TNS 7

84% are confident in the quality of the food we eat

Completely confident 11%

Fairly confident 73%

© 2013 TNS 7

8 Food for thought8 Food for thought

Are we honest with ourselves?

Almost half of us are obese or overweight, yet 81% of us believe that our eating habits are good for our health.

Even amongst the obese, that figure is 67%.

Paradoxically, the USA and UK, two countries

with high obesity levels, are most confident

in their assertion that their diet is good for

their health.

The contradiction in obese people believing

their eating habits bring a health benefit is

not because of a lack of weight awareness:

77% agree that they eat more than they

should. Perhaps there is a poor understanding

of how obesity affects health or a belief that

food’s nutritional benefits outweigh any

negative consequences of being overweight.

67%of the obese or overweight

population believe their eating

habits are good for their health

© 2013 TNS 9

� I have to watch my weight / be careful what I eat � Overweight or obese*

USA Germany UK Spain France Urban Russia

Urban China

73 61 76 58 75 57 68 49 71 47 85 47 95 20

Obesity

Weight is an issue for most people: 75%

said they have to watch what they eat and

64% said they tried to maintain or lose

weight during the last year. It is a concern

that is not always rational; 35% of those

classified as underweight tried to maintain

or lose weight. There is irony in the fact

that the Chinese, who are the most careful

about what they eat, have least cause to be.

* The figures refer to the proportion of the adult population who are overweight or obese. Overweight is defined as having a bmi from 25 – 30 and obese as having a bmi greater than 30.

10 Food for thought

We seek reassurance

Consumers want to know what is in the

food they eat and where it is from.

Russians find the most reassurance in

knowing about their food, with scores of

71% for product ingredients and 56% for

place of manufacture. ‘Organic’ labelling

is reassuring to Russians (41%) but less so

elsewhere, least of all in the UK (15%).

The Chinese place most trust in the presence

of a quality label (67%) and brand (57%).

Furthermore, consumers are reassured more

by what is not in their food than by what

is. They do not want preservatives (77%) or

pesticides (76%), artificial flavourings (72%),

antibiotics (71%) or genetic modification

(69%).

They want natural ingredients (79%).

Elements found most reassuring

regarding food quality

Product ingredients

Origin/place of manufacture

Information on packaging

Product appearance

Place where you bought the product

The brand

Presence of a quality label

Producer’s / shop’s info on the product

Price

Organically produced

Opinions of other consumers

55%

46%

45%

41%

40%

36%

36%

28%

25%

25%

21%

10 Food for thought

© 2013 TNS 11

Seeking innovations for health

Healthy innovations top our list

Consumers would like to see food

companies direct their creative energies

towards making foods that bring health

benefits. Natural food scores highly but

consumers also want foods that makes us

healthier, keeps us slim, and are free of

allergens. At a country level, the desire for

foods with medical benefits is strongest in

Russia and China and weakest in the USA,

the UK and Germany.

Would you find it beneficial for food

brands to innovate or invest further

along these lines?

Well-being

Natural health

Natural

82%More natural food products / ingredients

Medical

Health

76% Preventative health food products which maintain / boost your health

Diet/slimming

64% Products which help with keeping your figure, weight loss or the fight against obesity

12 Food for thought

Seeking innovations for taste

Would you find it beneficial for food

brands to innovate or invest further

along these lines?

Authenticity

73% Authentic products produced using traditional skills

Storage

73% Improved length of time the product stays fresh and retains its taste characteristics

Sensations

65% Diversity of tastes, flavours, colours, textures

Traditional

Convenience

Pleasure

Traditional foods appeal

A preference for authentic production

methods echoes our desire for simple,

natural ingredients. We want our food

prepared by artisans. But we also want food

that stays fresh longer, is faster to prepare

and comes in a diversity of tastes, textures

and colours. In other words we want our

food produced by an 18th century miller

with a PHD in Food Technology!

The evident tension here provides

opportunity for innovation.

© 2013 TNS 13

We want to be good citizens

Eating ethically carries an aura of virtue

and, when prompted, we express interest

in food innovations that respect the

environment, are locally sourced and do not

exploit the workers. We want to be good

citizens. However, the reality of what we

do doesn’t always match our high ideals.

For example, although 74% want more

environmentally friendly foods, when asked

what they actually prefer to buy, only 50%

said they bought food with less or recyclable

packaging.

Environmentally Friendly

74% I would like more food products which respect the environment & preserve natural resources

Would you find it beneficial for food

brands to innovate or invest further

along these lines?

Seeking innovations for sustainability

Local

74%I would like more food products made in my region or close by

Ethical

66%I would like more food products made while respecting the workers’ and / or producers’ rights

14 Food for thought

Further analysis now available...

Want a more in-depth UK segmentation analysis of people’s attitudes to food?

If you would like to learn more about all six clusters or to get more depth about

the UK data and segmentations, please contact Colin Moyer on

+44 (0) 207 656 5121 – colin.moyer@tnsglobal.com

Age, education, number of children and time to cook all help determine our attitudes to food and cooking. TNS’ additional analysis of the UK, divides the nation into six distinct clusters; Wholesome Diners, Culinary Connoisseurs, Mobile Millennials, Rapid Refuelers, Modern Feasters and Family Feeders.

This group loves cooking and are

inspired by TV chefs. But they are

younger, often with children and their

busy lives mean that they don’t have

time to spend cooking every day or to

ensure that they have a balanced diet.

Family Feeders

19%One cluster in focus:

© 2013 TNS 15

How TNS can help

As the world’s leading custom research

company, TNS is a trusted advisor to an

impressive portfolio of FMCG & food

companies providing information and

insights which are vital inputs to their future

planning and growth.

TNS advises clients on specific growth

strategies around innovation, brand strategy,

and shopper research – helping FMCG

companies solve the most pressing business

issues at every stage of a product’s lifecycle.

With a presence in over 80 countries,

TNS has more conversations with the

world’s consumers than anyone else and

understands individual human behaviours

and attitudes across every cultural, economic

and political region of the world.

TNS is part of Kantar, one of the world’s

largest insight, information and consultancy

groups. Please visit www.tnsglobal.com

for more information.

TNS6 More London PlaceLondon SE1 2QYUnited Kingdom

t +44 (0)20 7656 5294www.tnsglobal.comTwitter: @tns_uk

TNS UK is part of TNS Global, the world’s biggest research company.

TNS delivers precise plans to help our clients grow.

Whatever your challenge TNS UK can help:

nInnovation & Product Development

nBrand & Communications

nRetail & Shopper

nStakeholder Management

nQualitative

nAutomotive

About TNS UK