Survey on consumer perceptions of food - Wave VI

Methodology

The research was comprised of an online survey of 3,343 Canadian adults (18+) who have at least shared (50% or greater) responsibility for grocery shopping for the household. The survey was conducted from March 16-28, 2023 in English and French.

Key findings

The key findings from the research are presented here:

Trust

• The vast majority (88%) of Canadian consumers say Canada’s food and agriculture industry is moderately to very trustworthy, with one quarter (26%) rating it very trustworthy.
• The majority (58%) of Canadian consumers say they believe the Canadian agriculture and food industry is transparent about how food is produced.
• The affordability of food (76%, up 4%) is considered very important in terms of building and maintaining the public’s trust in food produced in Canada’s agricultural and agri-food industry. This is closely followed by ensuring food safety (74%, down 10%) and accurate labeling (70%, down 12%).
• Regarding the efforts the government should make to build, improve and maintain consumers’ trust in food products, Canadian consumers rank ensure Canadian food standards meet/exceed those of other countries (51%), ensure product labels enable Canadians to make informed food choices (51%), and ensure the agriculture and agri-food industry is supported by a strong regulatory system (44%).
• TV or radio advertising (33%), is seen as the most effective way for the government to share information with Canadian consumers. This is followed by Government of Canada social media (23%), and Government of Canada websites (21%).

Cost of food

• The majority (70%) of consumers say they have changed their food purchasing habits in the last year because of increasing food prices. Of these, the most frequently reported changes made due to increasing food prices are purchasing more discounted or on sale food items (70%), purchasing less expensive brands (66%), shopping more often at low-cost retailers (56%), and cutting back on the amount of food purchased (50%).
• Nearly all (96%) consumers say they sometimes to always (45%) seek foods that provide the best value for money spent.
• Most (87%) consumers say the price of food affects their purchasing decisions.

Environmental sustainability

• The majority (80%, down 3%) of consumers say they are careful about the way they buy and prepare food to minimize food waste.
• More than half (60%, down 8%) of consumers say they consider the environmental impact, such as reducing the use of plastic or packaging, in their food purchase decisions.
• Over one third (38%) of consumers say they consider if a product has been produced using environmentally sensitive agricultural methods, such as water conservation, crop rotation, or zero/low till systems.
• One in five (21%, down 3%) consumers report avoiding products with plastic packaging when making food purchase decisions.
• One in ten (11%) consumers say they have changed their food purchasing habits in the last year due to impacts from climate change.

Purchase drivers

• Canadian consumers continue to seek out food items which provide them with the best value for their money spent (84%), nutritional value (62%), and Canadian made products as specified on the label (54%).
  • The frequency of which Canadian consumers are seeking food items based on: Canadian made (as specified on the label) (54%) and country of origin (42%), saw significant declines while convenience saw a significant increase (54%).
• Organically produced food
  • More than half (55%) of Canadian consumers report seeking organically produced food at least sometimes, of those more than four in five (87%) report purchasing these foods at least sometimes.
    • The frequency of purchasing organically produced food products often or always has remained relatively stable (35%), while the willingness to pay more for these products has seen a slight drop (60%, down 4%).
    • The reduction in the use of pesticides or chemicals used to grow these food products (59%) is the most important benefit for consumers, this is followed by the healthiness of the products (47%), the lack of GMOs (40%), and the safety of the products (30%, down 19%).
    • Labels (93%) are used as the primary determinant of whether a product organic, with consumers seeking labels for independently ‘certified organic’ (47%), ‘Canada Organic’ (46%), a Canada Organic logo (44%), the word organic (44%), and ‘certified organic’ by a foreign country (33%).
  • For Canadian consumers who rarely to never (46%) seek organically produced foods, or those who report purchasing these foods rarely to never (13%), the cost (82%, up 9%) of these food products remains the primary reason provided for not buying these products, followed by lack of visible value (39%, down 4%), and lack of confidence in their organic production (37%, down 12%).
• Locally produced food
  • The majority (59%) of Canadian consumers define local as food produced within their region of the province (42%) to within their city or town (17%).
  • The overwhelming majority (86%, down 5%) of Canadian consumers report seeking locally produced food sometimes to always, of those the vast majority (97%) report purchasing these foods at least sometimes.
    • As the frequency of purchasing local products has decreased so has the willingness to pay more for these products (50%, down 12%).
    • Labels (87%) are used as the primary determinant of whether a product is locally produced, while more than half (54%) of consumers say they also rely on the retailer's indication of the product’s locality.
    • Supporting the local economy (74%, down 17%) remains the most important benefit to purchasing local foods, followed by the freshness of the products (60%, down 7%), the lower environmental impact (32%, down 10%), and the health benefits of the product (21%, up 9%).
  • For Canadian consumers who rarely to never (14%) seek locally produced food, or those who report rarely purchasing these foods (2%), the cost (52%, down 12%) of these food products remains the primary reason provided for not buying these products, followed by the lack of year-round availability (31%), and the lack of discernable difference from other products (23%, down 9%).
• Environmentally sustainable methods
  • More than two thirds (68%, down 3%) of Canadian consumers report seeking food produced using environmentally sustainable methods sometimes to always, of those the vast majority (91%) report purchasing these foods at least sometimes.
    • While the frequency of purchasing has remained relatively stable, the willingness to pay more for these products has seen a significant drop (53%, down 10%).
    • The reduction of the environmental impact (65%, down 18%) is the most important benefit for consumers, this is followed by the ethical and moral benefits (38%, down 4%), the healthfulness of the products (32%), and the freshness of the product (29%, up 13%).
    • While the primary determinate of a product's sustainable production is the environmental sensitivity of the packaging (46%), when grouped, three quarters (75%) of consumers say they use a label to make this determination.
  • For Canadian consumers who rarely to never (31%) seek food produced using environmentally sustainable methods, or those who report purchasing these foods rarely to never (9%), the cost (51%, up 10%) of these food products remains the primary reason provided for not buying these products, followed by lack of confidence in their sustainable production (32%, down 12%), and lack of discernible difference from other products (22%, down 15%).
• Humane animal welfare practices
  • More than two thirds (67%) of Canadian consumers report seeking humanely produced food products sometimes to always, of those more than four in five (88%) consumers report purchasing these foods at least sometimes.
    • The willingness to pay more for these products has seen a significant drop (66%, down 11%).
    • Labels (91%) are used as the primary determinant of whether a product is humanely produced, while more than two in five (43%) consumers say they also rely on the retailer's indication of the products humane production.
  • For Canadian consumers who rarely to never (34%) seek humanely produced food products, or those who report purchasing these foods rarely to never (12%), the lack of confidence in their humane production (35%, down 8%) remains the primary reason provided for not buying these products, followed by cost (28%, up 7%), and lack of labeling (28%, up 23%).

The Canadian food system

• Canadians consumers' perception of the quality of food produced in Canada has decreased from 2019 (82%), while the perception of food imported into Canada has increased (57%).
• Fewer Canadian consumers are reporting having avoided or boycotted a food product for any reason than in 2019.

Food purchasing habits

• Most Canadian consumers say that they often or always read best before dates (81%), ingredients lists (57%), and nutrition facts tables (51%) when making food purchase decisions.
• Just under two in five (38%) Canadian consumers report having seen QR codes related to food products while grocery shopping in the past month, however, fewer than one quarter (23%) report having scanned a QR code. Just over one quarter (28%) of consumers say they would be likely to use a QR code to access information in the future.