How ethics can impact on the UK's shopping habits

UK - Confirmation that consumers are showing an increasing interest not only in food quality and where it comes from, but also in standards of production comes in a report this week.

In Ethical Consumerism in the UK, Tony Fowler, senior economist with the Meat and Livestock Commission, says: "Fair trade, organic, free-range or cruelty-free are the most widely understood terms, but defining ethical production is a complex issue."

Using recent research from the Institute of Grocery Distribution, Fowler went on: "There is a surprisingly high proportion of consumers, 52 per cent, who say their buying patterns are determined by perceptions of what is ethical."

Unfortunately for farmers, opinions expressed for market surveys do not always match the reality of supermarket check-out tills.

Source: The Scotsman