Exploring influence of ethical shoppers

Feb 20 2010 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

TONY HENDERSON offers a taste of how shoppers can change how food is produced and sold.

FOOD. It is something we all need and buy – but what drives our purchases and how can shoppers change the system?

The role of the ethical consumer in influencing how food production and retailing works will be one of the topics explored by Newcastle University’s Professor of Agricultural Marketing Christopher Ritson next week.

Prof Ritson, a trustee director of the Food Ethics Council, will reflect in a public lecture entitled The Food Consumer on 30 years of marketing and consumer research at Newcastle University.

The rise of the ethical consumer, whose choices may be guided by environmental, animal welfare, social justice or food quality and purity decisions, is a relatively recent phenomenon, says Prof Ritson.

“It is of growing importance and I think it is here to stay,” he says.

Previous consumer movements have ranged from the emergence of the Co-operative societies of the 19th Century to bodies like the Consumers Association to inform buyers.

But Prof Ritson says that what distinguishes the ethical consumers are their “votes “ – or what products they choose .

“They are influencing the food system by what they buy,” he says.

Examples range from organic produce to free range eggs and fair trade goods. The swing to free range eggs is, says Prof Ritson, an illustration of consumer-led change.

“The ethical consumer may promote choice in what is offered and influence the balance of the food system,” he says.

The next step is if a retailer decides not to stock products considered to be non-ethical in order to foster an environmentally-caring image.

Ethical consumers have two votes, says Prof Ritson – what they buy and their choice of retailer, often one supermarket or outlet which they believe is more ethical than their rivals.

On genetically modified foods, Prof Ritson says that early research at Newcastle found that attitudes among consumers were polarised.