News Media's Role in Consumer Trust of Food Production

shsfoodthink.com ©2016 Sullivan Higdon & Sink. All rights reserved. The data in this report may be reproduced as long as it is cited:
“Allies in Unexpected Places ,” Sullivan Higdon & Sink FoodThink, 2014.
1
in consumer trust of food production
NEWS MEDIA’S
ROLE

2
Contents
Key Takeaways
The Media’s Role in Educating the Consumer
Top Media Sources and Fact-Checking
Types of Food Stories that Spark Memory Recall
Consumers are Forgiving of Food Scares
Implications

3
TAKING THE CONSUMER’S PULSE
In October 2015, SHS conducted a pulse
survey to examine year-over-year trends and
gain additional insights in the changing news
sphere. You’ll see data from this survey cited
as “FoodThink News Pulse 2015” throughout
the paper.
The Pulse Survey consisted of 1,039 respondents with a
conﬁdence interval of +/- 3.04%.

4
Consumers want to hear what
you have to say
Key Takeaways
54%of Americans say they
give food producers
the opportunity to tell
their side of the story.
When a negative story breaks, consumers
want the media to pursue those leads. But
consumers are also willing to listen to what
food producers have to say, and open to
reconsidering you.

5
Recent food stories stick in
consumers' minds
Consumers pay attention to
stories about food because
they care about food
production. When asked to
choose from a list, the majority
(84%) of consumers surveyed
remember hearing a news
story about food. The more
recent the story, the more
likely they were to remember.
Key Takeaways
Ice cream recall for listeria
Bird ﬂu reducing chickens
E. coli cases in burger chain
55%
52%
42%

6
Their support can return if
you do it right
While some consumers will never
eat a recalled food product again,
the majority (66%) feel comfortable
buying a product again a few
months after a food scare, if food
marketers effectively defuse the
situation. And nearly 1 in 4 are
willing to purchase the food item as
soon as it hits shelves.
Key Takeaways
consumers say they
don’t care about food
scares and will buy
the food again when
it is available.
1in4

7
Consumers want the media to
continue breaking food stories
32+35+28+3+2
“I hope the media continues to break stories about how food
is actually produced.”
Q: Thinking about the media’s role in the food industry, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neutral
Somewhat Disagree
Strongly Disagree
32%
35%
28%
3% 2%
While many Americans
say there haven’t been any
news stories causing them
to think differently about a
food product or brand of
food, over two-thirds
(67%) still want the media
to break stories about how
food is produced.

8
Yet consumers' perception of
sensationalistic media is slowly dropping
In 2014, just over half (54%) of
Americans thought the media tended
to sensationalize stories about food
production practices, just to make
them sound worse. In a follow-up
study in 2015, that percentage
dropped to just 47%.
I think the media tends to
sensationalize stories about
food production practices
to make them sound worse.
Q: Thinking about the media’s role in the food industry, how strongly
do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (Top two)
54% 47%
2014 2015

9
News stations are the preferred
source of information
Sources of additional information
Q: When you hear of a food safety issue, which of the following sources do you use to ﬁnd additional information? Please select all the apply.
Local news station
National news station
Newspaper
Friends and family
Social media
Government website
Online blogs
Other
Celebrity chefs
49%
47%
33%
34%
30%
20%
16%
10%
7%
Information about food
safety issues can come
from multiple sources.
Nearly half of Americans
gain additional
information regarding
food safety issues from
local or national news
stations. Friends and
family as well as social
media are other sources
that Americans use to get
additional insights.

10
Friends, family and social media can be used to a brand’s
advantage in a crisis. With over half of Americans saying
they share interesting food production stories with friends
and family, this is a perfect way for brands to drive positive
and truthful information, and to encourage reconnection
with consumers.
Cultivating brand advocates throughout the year can be
beneficial. These long-term relationships can be tapped
when needed to speak in a positive manner. Vocal and loyal
brand communities will help build a positive and influential
perception with consumers.
Brand advocates can drive trustFOOD FOR
THOUGHT
share interesting
food production
stories with
friends and family.
54%

11
Consumers don’t rely on initial news
reports; they dig deeper on their own
After I hear a news story on food production, I do my own research
about the topic to ensure that it’s true.
55% 76% 68% 66%
Total Agree Healthy DadsOrganic
20+35+31+14
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree Nor Disagree
Disagree
20%14%
35%
31%

12
The facts about fact-checking
15+39+37+9
After I hear a negative food production story in the media, I still give
the food producer the opportunity to tell their side of the story.
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Neither Agree Nor Disagree
Disagree
15%9%
39%
37%
If a story is negative,
over half of Americans
(54%) give the food
producer the
opportunity to tell their
side of the story. This is
especially true for older
generations.

13
Government more trustworthy than
food companies and restaurants
Trustworthy sources of information
A government website is the most
trustworthy source for information
regarding food recalls
A food manufacturer or restaurant
is the most trustworthy source for
information regarding food recalls
50%
24%
33%
35%
17%
41%
Agree Neither Disagree

14
Fewer stories caused consumers to think differently about a food or
brand of food.
Q: In the last year, were there any news stories about food production that caused you to think differently about a food or brand of food?
28% 72%
Americans value the media’s role in reporting food issues. But that doesn’t
mean they remember what they see. Only a little over a quarter (28%) of
Americans report that a food production news story caused them to think
differently about a food or brand.
Consumers’ attention spans are as
short as the news cycle

15
Types of Food Stories That Spark Memory Recall
News stories may not change
perception. But certain stories have
higher recall.
of Americans
remember a story
about food, food safety
or food production in
the past year.
80%
Americans see a wide range of stories
about food and food production. And
while Americans remember many of
the top stories in the media, some
don’t have all the facts. In an unaided
response, 80% of Americans said they
have seen or heard a story about food,
food safety or food production in the
past year.

16
The food story spectrum
Heard about people getting sick
from cucumbers. Heard about
GMO corn killing all the bees at
a nearby bee farm. Also heard
about a hummus brand recall.
Over the past year or so, the
stories I’ve heard about food
haven’t been good at all.
Basically about how some food
production isn’t safe at all. It’s
so many stories that have been
going on about food safety, and
food production.
Recalls on ice cream. GMO’s
being safe or unsafe. Not sure
to be exact.
I have heard that fast food
places use meat grease to cook
their french fries in.
I have seen a lot of stories such
as bread recalls for glass in it,
salmonella outbreaks and more.
I read and saw a video about
how hotdogs were made and I
believe that it was done only to
make us hate hotdogs but really
that isn’t how they are made.
This was disturbing for me.
Several contamination stories.
Stories about slow food. Stories
about GMO’s and food supply
internationally. Several stories
about super foods and organics,
as well. Many processed foods are
ﬁlled with sugars and chemicals
that can cause cancer.
“
“
“
“
“
“
“
”
””
”
”
”
”
Q: Over the past year or so, what stories have you seen or heard, about food, food safety or food production?

17
2015 had some memorable food scares
Top stories from 2015
Q: Over the past year or so, which of the following news stories about food do you remember? Please select all that apply.
A brand of ice cream being recalled for listeria 55%
Bird ﬂu reducing the number of chickens and eggs available 52%
Cucumbers recalled for salmonella 39%
E. coli cases linked to undercooked ground beef at a restaurant 42%
Seafood company recall canned ﬁsh products
for possible botulism outbreak 21%
None of these 16%

18
Many food companies are hurt by the recall of their product, but
some companies can recover. Over half of Americans remember the
recall of an ice cream brand in 2015, but in one brand’s case, when
it was available in grocery stores again, consumers came back to the
brand. Not only were they buying the product, they were celebrating
their purchases on social media.
An important factor in recovering from a food recall is transparency.
As reported in “Emerging Faith in Food Production,” FoodThink
found that 31% of consumers consider food companies trustworthy.
More important, the percentage of consumers who do not consider
food companies trustworthy has dropped by 41%. As food recalls
occur, it’s important to continue to gain the trust of loyal consumers
by being transparent.
Brand Loyalty and Transparency ImportantFOOD FOR
THOUGHT
consider food
companies
trustworthy.
31%

19
Consumers Can Be Forgiving of Food Scares
Consumers are willing to return
While about one in ten (11%) consumers will never eat a particular food again
after a food safety scare, the majority will buy it again after a few months.
Nearly one in four (23%) consumers don’t care about the scare and will buy
the food immediately when available again.
23% 66% 11%
“I don’t really care.
Once I’m able to buy
the food again, I will.”
“I stay away from
that food for a while
because I’m nervous,
but feel comfortable
buying it again
a few months later.”
“I never eat that
food again. I don’t
trust the problem
won’t happen again.”

20
Consumers Can Be Forgiving of Food Scares
Men are more likely than women
to return
14%13%
(131)(114)
MomsFemale
12%
(109)
Good Cooks
26%31%
(114)(136*)
DadsMale
29%
(129)
Bad Cooks
I DON’T REALLY
CARE. ONCE I’M ABLE
TO BUY THE FOOD
AGAIN, I WILL. (23%)
I NEVER EAT THAT
FOOD AGAIN. I DON’T
TRUST THE PROBLEM
WON’T HAPPEN
AGAIN. (11%)

21
Implications
The majority of consumers are willing to
return to a brand after a recall, but there
may be some hesitation. Food marketers
can gain the trust of their consumers and
lessen the negative effects of a recall.
Consumers can be
willing to return
Consumers research the stories.
Provide them with your side of the
story. And do it quickly! Timeliness
is important. Share on your owned
channels but also in media for
improved credibility.
Back it up with facts
As one of the more trusted sources,
food marketers should showcase
transparency and honesty to help gain
trust when talking with the media.
Consumers trust the
media more than
food manufacturers
and restaurants,
despite concerns
of sensationalism.
Food marketers have the opportunity
to reach their consumers in a time of
crisis and use them to promote truthful
information, while working with the
media to effectively deliver the real
story. Consumers want to hear from
you, so tell your side of the story. No
comment is no option.
Food scares have a
diminishing effect.

“Motivated Meal Planning,” Sullivan Higdon & Sink FoodThink, 2014.
“Feeding a Digital World,” Sullivan Higdon & Sink FoodThink, 2014.
About the study
22
In early 2014, SHS conducted the latest round of its FoodThink research study monitoring how
consumers think about what they eat and America’s relationship with food.
The study was executed among 2,004 consumers across the country via an online email survey  
(confidence interval of +/-2.19% at a confidence level of 95%). Respondents had to be at least 18
years of age and have joint or primary responsibility for the grocery and food decisions in their
household. They came from a mix of demographic backgrounds and regions across the U.S. The
study covered a wide range of topics, such as perceptions of food production, cooking trends and
changing thoughts about food.

“Motivated Meal Planning,” Sullivan Higdon & Sink FoodThink, 2014.
“Feeding a Digital World,” Sullivan Higdon & Sink FoodThink, 2014.
23
FOR MORE about Sullivan Higdon & Sink’s
FoodThink study, please visit
www.shsfoodthink.com

News Media's Role in Consumer Trust of Food Production

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