The researchers asked more than 4,000 consumers from six European countries (UK, Spain, France, Germany, Poland and Sweden) about their understanding of sustainability issues, including their familiarity with ethical labels. The study has been published in the journal Food Policy.
They found a generally high level of concern, particularly about child labour, deforestation, malnutrition, animal welfare, pesticide use, environmental damage, and food waste. However, the concept of sustainability was more difficult to grasp than issues related to health and nutrition – and therefore lacked relevance for consumers, the researchers found.
“The results imply that sustainability labels currently do not play a major role in consumers’ food choices, and future use of these labels will depend on the extent to which consumers’ general concern about sustainability can be turned into actual behaviour,” the study’s authors wrote.
What does the Rainforest Alliance stand for?
Participants were also asked whether they recognised four different ethical labels: Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, Animal Welfare and Carbon Trust. The Fairtrade label was the best-recognised, with about half of participants saying they had seen it before. Recognition was highest in the UK and lowest in Spain.
Most participants correctly identified the meaning behind three of the four labels, except for the Rainforest Alliance logo, for which a majority chose the incorrect answer, “Protecting wildlife in the rainforest”. The logo actually represents “Protecting sustainable agriculture to help farmers, while protecting the local environment”.
Few people look for ethical info…
The study suggested that consumers considered many other product attributes before sustainability issues when looking at food or drink items in the supermarket, including price, brand, quantity, nutrition, country of origin, and even cooking instructions. Ethical and environmental information were among the attributes consumers were least likely to look for, along with allergen information.
However, the authors stressed that the results do not imply there is no future for sustainability labels in Europe, just that their use is currently limited.
“In this context it is also interesting to look at the considerable country differences we found, even after controlling for differences in understanding and motivation,” they wrote.
“This shows that a high level of concern in some countries is more apt to translate into behaviour than in others. To find reasons for this is an interesting aim for future research. One perspective that could be adopted there is to look into differences in the prominence of sustainability issues on the public agenda, which could relate to salience of the concept in the mind of consumers.”
“Sustainability labels on food products: Consumer motivation, understanding and use”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Report on Vietnam Pangasius Sector 2015–2024, produced and released by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) in January 2025, is expected to provide enterprises, importers, and government agencies with a comprehensive overview of key developments in Vietnam's pangasius production and export over the past decade. In addition to highlighting achievements, the report identifies existing challenges and analyzes future opportunities and threats for the pangasius industry.
(vasep.com.vn) Overcoming two years of fluctuation in both export markets and domestic production, Vietnam's pangasius industry has demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and a strong determination to seize opportunities and boost exports to various markets. As a result, in 2024, pangasius exports reached USD 2 billion, a 9% increase compared to 2023. This achievement is a source of pride for Vietnam's aquaculture and agriculture sectors.
(seafood.vasep.com) Speaking at a conference to implement the 2025 plan of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged the agricultural sector to strive for a total export turnover of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products reaching $70 billion by 2025.
With robust production and processing infrastructure, combined with continuous market development efforts, Vietnam’s seafood exports are poised for 10–15% growth in 2025.
In 2025, seafood exports are expected to continue to grow better and could reach 11 billion USD as in 2022. However, this is also the year the seafood industry will face challenges, including increased competition from other countries, trade wars and market barriers...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of December 25, at Toan Thinh Conference Center (Soc Trang City), the Soc Trang Fisheries Sub-department, under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang, held a conference to review the 2024 aquaculture activities and outline the brackish water shrimp farming plan for 2025. The event was attended by Ms. Quach Thi Thanh Binh, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Soc Trang.
The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang aims to achieve export value of over 1.9 billion USD in 2025 by boosting production and processing of key products such as seafood, high-quality rice, fruits, and garments.
The UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement has significantly boosted Vietnamese seafood exports, with shrimp and pangasius leading the charge in the UK market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In November 2024, Vietnam's tuna exports failed to maintain the rapid growth momentum seen earlier. Export value during the month increased by nearly 4% year-on-year, reaching approximately USD 82 million. Cumulatively, the export value for the first 11 months of 2024 totaled USD 903 million, a 17% increase compared to the same period in 2023. However, at this growth rate, the total export turnover for 2024 is estimated to only reach around USD 1 billion.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the evening of December 24, 2024, in Hanoi, the Central Youth Union, Viet nam Youth Federation and the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association held the Vietnam Golden Star Award Ceremony 2024, with the theme "Reaching Vietnam", honoring 200 outstanding enterprises. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh attended.
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