Keeping your neighbours friendly
News comes this week that of all players within the food sector, farmers are the most trusted by the public, with two-thirds (67%) of European consumers reporting that they trust farmers compared to just 13% that do not, according to results from the EIT Food Trust Report, a survey conducted by several pan-European partners, including the University of Reading and the University of Warsaw.
Retailers are the next most trusted group, with 53% of consumers expressing their trust – a rise of 7% since 2018, potentially associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and the gratitude felt by some to the sector for maintaining food supplies and access.
So this is good news. Trust in one’s producers and the suppliers of food is key.
Everyone in the supply chain has been working throughout this year to ensure that the shelves are stocked in a timely fashion and consumers globally do not miss out when they head to the shops. This is for everything ranging from potatoes to fancy chocolate mousses and yogurts, which my family has developed a taste for recently. It is a credit to the supply chain that it has held together so well throughout this pandemic. People are being fed and that helps with everything.
Despite the much-publicised lorryloads stuck in Kent and drivers getting their ham sandwiches confiscated in Zeebrugge, overall the freight has continued to shift across the Channel and we are seeing both movement and food. We are not reduced to eating domestic swedes (although we do enjoy them) solely.
I am not sure how much of that was tucked away in warehouses somewhere in the Midlands here, but I do know the retailers (again) have stepped up to the plate and are delivering. It is a massive effort and a credit to the international logistics chains who supply the supermarkets, and indeed, the whole supply chain.
The survey itself is good news, showing that research co-operation continues across the EU and the UK, with universities in several countries and the European Food Information Council taking part.
At the end of the day, there is no point in getting cross with one’s next door neighbours, eh? We may need to borrow their power tools or something in the future, or they ours. Or vaccines, for that matter.
- Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
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