A University of Otago study has found that consumers pay little attention to 'food miles' when making purchases.
The survey, which involved shoppers from four different UK supermarkets, found that only 5.6 percent of people nominated country-of-origin as one of the reasons for their purchase, with price and brand or variety being the most popular determinants.
Interestingly, however, when questioned, 1/5 of participants said that food miles would stop them from buying New Zealand products. This contrast between actual consumer behaviour and what shoppers say when questioned could be due to the negative social stigma surrounding 'food miles', rather than due to environmental concerns, the study’s authors suggest.
Food Miles Fail
