Much has been said about how the industry is feeling and faring following the E. coli outbreak, but what we wanted to try and explore was the mood of the consumer as a result of it and how the headlines were making them feel and act.
We commissioned a consumer study with Cambridge Research into the impact of the outbreak and this raised some interesting issues that I want to share, namely that only three per cent of UK consumers said that they were considering buying less bagged salad as a result of the unprecedented European food scare.
It was good to see that the uncertainty around the outbreak had little negative impact on buying intention. However, what also became evident from our study was that product trust is more critical than ever before and significantly, this isn’t just as a result of produce scares but also for financial reasons, as consumers need to justify their choices and expenditure.
The insight revealed that three weeks after the outbreak dominated the news, shoppers were still buying into the category but 36 per cent said that they would be less likely to buy an unwashed product moving forward. Consumers have clearly heard the message that for salad to be safe, it must be washed - a trend that has been clearly shown through the performance of unwashed products, with unwashed seeing an eight per cent reduction in unit volume sales over recent weeks.
Shoppers were telling us that more than ever before, they want to be reassured that a bagged salad that they regard as ready to eat has been washed fully, otherwise this raises concerns over health issues as well as being a contradiction to time-saving and value for money.
Thirty per cent of UK bagged salad purchasers felt that they shouldn’t have to prepare a bagged salad and that it should be ready to be served or put straight onto a plate so that it really is convenient.
Reinforcing consumer trust and loyalty in the aftermath of the E. coli outbreak seems to lie therefore in actions and words - “reassure me that you do wash your salads, keep telling me that you do and I will remain loyal and trusting”, is one example of the feedback we got. Never has there been more crucial a time for category leadership to play its part and our response is clear. The consumers that we questioned were reassured by the fact that we not only wash our salads, but that they are thoroughly washed three times and we’re looking to amplify this message across our packaging to support the category as a whole by helping buyers understand that washed bagged salad is a quality product that is safe to eat and truly convenient.
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