Last month we unveiled the results from the Foodprint from Nutritics’ Sustainability Sentiment Index*, which unveiled some fascinating data around what we’re looking for when eating out. We found that British consumers actively want to make more sustainable choices when eating or drinking out. They also want more transparency from restaurants, pubs and bars on their menus to demonstrate the effects their choices have on the environment.
We speak to Stephen Nolan, CEO of Foodprint from Nutritics, to pull out a couple of the key findings…
Consumers care about the impact going/eating out has on the environment and want to make more sustainable choices when eating out
Consumers value venues that care about their commitment to sustainability, with 57% saying it’s important to them that venues and brands make efforts to reduce their environmental impact. Consumers would like venues to provide them with a variety of information to help them make more sustainable choices when eating out. For example, 40% of those surveyed would like to know whether the food has been locally sourced or not, 27% want to know the carbon footprint of the meal and 26% would like to know the how much restaurants contribute to food waste.
Displaying sustainable credentials is an important ‘spend’ decision-making factor for consumers
The public holds venues and brands to a high standard when it comes to communicating their environmental impact and commitment to sustainability. In fact, venues and brands that are not being transparent about this could potentially be putting their business’ success at risk. This is demonstrated in the fact that a third (33%) of Brits surveyed are more likely to eat or drink at a venue or brand which is transparent about its environmental impact or commitment to sustainability - the equivalent of over 17 million Brits.
But, consumers don’t feel they have access to the right information and lack direction to make such decisions
A substantial number of consumers feel they are ill-equipped to make those decisions, with over a third (35%) of those surveyed saying they do not have the right information to make sustainable food choices when eating or drinking out. This means that over 18 million diners in the UK could be making better environmental menu choices if they had the correct information, demonstrating a clear demand for information about the environmental impact of hospitality offerings.
Stephen Nolan concludes: “We know that many hospitality and food service operators are looking for ways to achieve Net-Zero, and we encourage them to implement strategies that will not only benefit the planet in the long-run, but also capitalise on consumer desire for understanding the environmental impact of their menu choices.
“It’s evident that a significant – and increasing - number of consumers are trying to make better choices to make the planet a greener place. Operators are in a powerful position to use their resources, including technology like the Foodprint software, not only accelerate their own journey to net zero but also in doing so to drive increased footfall from environmentally savvy diners.”
To learn more about the Foodprint software or to request a free trial, see here: https://www.nutritics.com/en/food/carbon-footprint-scoring.
* The survey gauged the attitudes of 2,000 nationally representative respondents across the UK.
About Stephen
Stephen is the CEO of Nutritics - he joined the business in 2013. He moved to Nutritics when it was established to develop and deliver the company’s international foodservice growth strategy. Stephen has led the Nutritics Group to become a trusted partner of foodservice operators large and small in over 100 countries, He was recently announced as the inaugural EY Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year. He holds a First Class Master of Finance degree from University College Dublin.