October 2020
Featured in this insight: Central government & non-department public bodies, Consumer goods & FMCG , Food & drink, Local & regional government
Three-quarters of respondents say maintaining existing food standards is 'very important': A survey of UK consumers has found that 94% believe that as the UK continues to negotiate trade deals with the US and other countries, the maintenance of UK food standards is important to consumers, with 74% saying it is 'very important'.
The survey conducted by Which? polled more than 2,000 members of the British public online, with more than three-quarters (77%) saying they would not feel comfortable eating chlorinated chicken, and 81% saying they would be uncomfortable eating beef or drinking milk from hormone-injected cattle.
The results reveal the opposition to food produced below the current UK standard is consistent across all regions, political affiliations, and socio-economic groups.
Breaking the results down further, the survey found that 95% of Conservative-voting participants said it was 'important' for the government to maintain standards, while 71% said it was 'very important'. Three-quarters (75%) said they were concerned that the UK government has not ruled out a ban on importing chlorinated chicken or beef which has been treated with growth hormones. A similar percentage (77%) were concerned that the current UK bans could be overturned without 'proper scrutiny' in Parliament.
Of those who voted for Labour in the last election, 96% said that it is important the UK’s existing standards of food to be upheld, with 85% worried that the Government has not ruled out lifting current bans on chlorinated chicken and beef treated with hormones. Almost nine in ten (87%) said they are worried that the government will remove these bans without it going down to a Parliamentary vote.
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