Industry implications of evolving consumer behaviour — Deep dive 1: Trends in Canadian consumer demand for environmental attributes in food

Alternate format

The report is part 1 of 3 "Deep Dives," which are connected to a main report entitled Industry Implications of Evolving Consumer Behaviour (PDF), partially funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

This "Deep Dive (PDF)" explores Canadian consumers' interests, attitudes, and behaviours regarding environmental sustainability, as well as the impact these have on their food purchases. This research offers insights to help improve consumer familiarity with environmental practices, and proposes to integrate further sustainability measures that resonate with Canadians within businesses and the sector as a whole.

This "Deep Dive" was developed through the AgriCommunication Initiative to increase the sector's understanding of changes in consumer demand. This supports ongoing dialogue among governments and industry on how to best position the sector to respond to these trend, particularly as they relate to sustainable agriculture.

Consumers face challenges with identifying sustainable food

When it comes to food, Canadian consumers associate the term "sustainability" with environmental issues, but there is little consensus on this definition
Many consumers would like to choose more sustainable food products, but face a lack of readily available and easy to understand information on food production
Of Canadians who stated that sustainable food should have "a positive impact on climate change and the environment," one-third did not know how to identify these impacts^{note 1}

Consumers associate local foods with sustainable foods

When asked what it means for food to be sustainable, 28% equated sustainable food with locally produced food^{note 2}
Consumers who always seek out local foods have a 37% chance of also being concerned about sustainability^{note 2}

Sustainability practices

Effective sustainability practices according to consumers include:^{note 3}

Donating surplus to food banks: 34%
Reducing packaging waste by using compostable or recyclable materials: 28%
Crop rotation and cover crops to improve soil health: 27%
Automated irrigation systems that reduce water waste and improve crop yields: 25%
Exploring sustainable packaging options and reducing the use of single-use plastics: 24%
Improving inventory management to reduce food waste: 23%
Reducing energy consumption by using energy-efficient technologies and equipment: 22%
Practices and technologies to minimize food waste during production and distribution: 22%
Precision farming to optimize resources and reduce fertilizer and pesticide use: 21%
Minimum tillage practices to reduce Green House Gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration: 14%

Logos and labels

Logos and label statements consumers typically look for when shopping include:^{note 1}

Non-GMO Project Verified: 52%
Canada Organic logo: 42%
Quality assurance (for example, for meat, milk and eggs): 38%
Raised without antibiotics: 37%
Raised without hormones or steroids: 36%
Food allergen logos: 27%
Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef: 25%
Marine Stewardship Council Certification logo: 24%
Don't know: 6%
Other: 5%

Implications for industry

The preference of many consumers for local food, and the association between local food and improved environmental outcomes, are key assets for Canadian food producers
Canadians are receptive to messages about actions taken to reduce waste
Claims that are clear, consistent, and directly related to the most important environmental issues are likely to be the most impactful
More importantly, these claims need to be easily understood and believed by the consumer

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