Horsemeat scandal has changed people's buying habits
8:05am Monday 18th February 2013 in News © Press Association
THE buying habits of consumers are set to be transformed by the horse meat scandal, new research suggests.
Almost one quarter (24 per cent) of shoppers will buy less processed meat, and more than a fifth (21 per cent) have already started buying less meat in general, according to the findings gathered from a survey by researchers Consumer Intelligence.
The research also found that about 4.1 million people who previously bought processed meat said they would stop doing so altogether.
The effect of the scandal on unprocessed meat sales is less clear, with 25 per cent of people saying they would now buy more unprocessed meat like joints, chops or steaks instead of processed meats.
A further 19 per cent would like to do this, but said they could not afford to.
Vegetarianism seems set for a boost, with six per cent of adults claiming they know someone who has turned vegetarian as a result of the crisis, the survey said.
The scandal has significantly eroded public trust in the food they buy, as 67 per cent of respondents, equivalent to more than 32 million people, said they now trusted food labels less than before.
And 62 per cent said they were now more likely to buy their meat from independent butchers.
Not all consumers have been put off by the scandal, however, as around 12 million people (25 per cent) would knowingly eat horse meat and a further 16 million (33 per cent) would consider doing so, compared with the 20 million people (42 per cent) who say they would not eat it at all.
David Black of Consumer Intelligence said: "Our findings show that this scandal has really hit consumers hard, be it through having to change their shopping habits or altering the fundamentals of their diet.
"The main issue is about being able to trust that what the label says you're eating is what you're actually eating."
Has the horsemeat scandal changed what you buy at the supermarket? Have your say below.
Comments(12)
miss rumble tumble
says...
9:50am Mon 18 Feb 13
goldenbroomboy
says...
10:07am Mon 18 Feb 13
As for Ukippers, in my experience their brains have been smoked.
Inspirationalady28
says...
10:26am Mon 18 Feb 13
PaulErith
says...
10:36am Mon 18 Feb 13
Polly Staight
says...
1:32pm Mon 18 Feb 13
Is this the same ignorance that led you to write such fantasy about UKIP, of which you obviously know nothing?
Peony
says...
3:24pm Mon 18 Feb 13
Inspirationalady28
says...
3:35pm Mon 18 Feb 13
Polly Staight
says...
3:39pm Mon 18 Feb 13
..
"I'm sticking to onion gravy made with REAL ONIONS and cornflour!! Lol"
Don't forget the beef stock!
:)
Gypo.Joe
says...
5:36pm Mon 18 Feb 13
pamela8
says...
8:56pm Mon 18 Feb 13
paulbexleyheath
says...
9:50pm Mon 18 Feb 13
Polly Staight says...
8:57am Mon 18 Feb 13
...I don't suppose that they are going to identify the EU as being wholly responsible for this pantomime, which it is.
But if they do, they might want to consider buying a vote from UKIP or at least giving them one's vote, since they are the only political party that understand just how evil the EU is and have already called out the criminals here.