DINERS ARE starting to care about the provenance of their food when eating out, according to new research by the National Pig Association.
Traditionally, diners care less about where their food comes from when eating out than when food shopping. But attitudes appear to be changing.
The new research, commissioned by AHDB Pork, showed 55% of those questioned agreed it is important to know where the meat they are served comes from. 52% said having British produce on the menu is important to them. And 57% said high animal welfare is very or quite important.
The shift in attitudes gives restaurants and food outlets the opportunity to attract customers by stating where their meat comes from on menus. This is because British origin is typically seen as a signal of higher standards in animal welfare, traceability and quality.
Brands such as McDonald’s and KFC are capitalising on the trend with commitments to British pork and chicken respectively.
This chimes with the finding of last month’s Footprint Forum on Animal Welfare – does it matter to foodservice? This concluded that it if your customers wouldn’t eat your food if they knew where it came from, you need to change your supply chain, and pronto.
