Some Consumers May Pay More for Sustainable Food

But a survey finds those who would pay more would only be willing to pay 1% to 5% more.

Source: American Meat Institute

While more than half of respondents (57%) in a recent Mintel survey say they willing to pay more for local and sustainable fare, the majority of those are only willing to pay a mere 1-5% more. Mintel is a leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence.

“Green and sustainable attributes pale in comparison to the leading restaurant decision drivers of menu selection, prices and convenient location,” notes Eric Giandelone, foodservice director at Mintel. “However, these initiatives support the leading attributes to help a restaurant stand apart and will become more important as the green movement continues to progress.”

When deciding where to eat, 74% of patrons based their decision on menu selection followed by pricing and convenient location at 69% and 67%, respectively. Local/organic ingredients and sustainable ingredients lagged severely behind with only 7% of people saying that drove them to a restaurant.

When Mintel respondents were asked to rate their top three corporate responsibility (CSR) initiatives, they named living wages, local ingredients and company-provided medical insurance.

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