The food and consumer goods industry needs a revolution in transparency and traceability, an industry leader has claimed.
IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch believes such a revolution is vital because the food and consumer goods industry has never been under more scrutiny, and needs to build trust to higher levels than ever before following the damaging horsemeat scandal earlier this year.
Speaking to 650 senior industry figures at the IGD Convention in London yesterday, Denney-Finch said: “It’s vital that we lead a revolution in transparency and traceability. It won’t be easy, and it will take time, but it’s the biggest opportunity of a generation. Every day, the world becomes more transparent: Wikileaks, Google Street View, instant reporting through social media, and consumer blogs – the lid is lifting on everything. Is this opening Pandora’s Box; an invitation to endless interference? Well, that box is coming open, whether we like it or not.”
IGD research unveiled at the event showed that 56 per cent of shoppers – up 22 per cent on 2011 – want to know more about the origin of the food they buy.
The research also showed only 12 per cent of shoppers feel they know “quite a lot” about where their food comes from, and that 73 per cent of consumers think food and grocery firms only do the right thing when they are forced to by law, or when it is in their own interests.
Speaking at the convention, Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King, who told delegates “we must never be guilty of thinking that horsemeat wasn’t something very profound,” said: “Values are the differentiator between retailers in a world where consumers can price-compare brands. Consumers expect us to have asked the questions they want answered and asked. We should have nothing to hide.”
Denney-Finch, who urged retailers to see traceability and transparency as “investments, not overheads”, added: “Whenever we’re transparent, it shows that we’re confident. As we should be – what we sell has never been safer, more reliable, better quality or better value. The people and companies with integrity will prevail.”
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