New YouGov Omnibus research, conducted on behalf of East of England Co-op, shows that 79% of adults think it’s important that people in Britain buy locally sourced produce; only 30% have actually bought any in the last week. The research has prompted the retailer to launch Sourced Locally Fortnight, a celebration of local producers and a call to consumers to buy more local produce.
The research highlights that vegetables (51%) and meat (40%) topped the list when asked to select the two products that they would most likely buy if a locally sourced alternative was available. This was followed by eggs (30%), milk (22%) and fruit (22%). Less than half (47%) of those questioned thought that they could buy locally sourced produce in a supermarket and only 18% expect to find it in a convenience store.
Scots are most concerned about local produce, with 90% stating it was important that people in Britain buy locally sourced produce (followed by 85% of those from Yorkshire and the Humber). Only 68% of those in London thought it was important. In contrast, 17% of 18-24 year olds felt it was very important to buy locally sourced produce and 4% in this age range said it was not at all important.
Other findings show:
• 62% of Brits have bought locally sourced produce at some point in the last year
• Only 3% admitted they had never bought local produce
• More women (62%) than men (55%) were likely to be put off buying locally sourced produce if the price wasn’t right
• 10% of men stated that nothing would prevent them from buying local
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