Many British shoppers do not believe supermarkets are paying their suppliers a fair price for fresh produce, a new survey reveals.
An exclusive consumer survey for freshinfo, carried out by England Marketing, shows that only 16 per cent of shoppers believe that retailers are paying suppliers fairly. Some 36 per cent claim they are not paying fair returns, with 49 per cent undecided.
“It is relatively well known there is pressure in the area between supermarkets and their suppliers,” said Lee Woodger, head of the NFU’s food chain unit. “There are examples of both great and terrible relationships between supermarkets and suppliers. We have seen supermarkets try to improve things in this area but there’s much work to be done.”
The wide-ranging survey polled shoppers on everything from their purchasing drivers, attitude to British, pricing, seasonality and the GM debate. A majority said they would be willing to pay a “British premium” to help the long-term well-being of the domestic production industry. Of those, 56 per cent would be willing to pay two to five per cent extra, with a quarter prepared to pay up to 10 per cent more.
Shoppers are concerned about the long-term domestic food supply, the research suggests, with 81 per cent of those polled backing the need to increase UK production of fruit and vegetables.
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