The horse meat scandal was laughed off by many when it first hit the headlines. But worryingly the scandal has escalated and has now fully penetrated the consumer psyche.
The horse meat scandal was laughed off by many when it first hit the headlines. But worryingly the scandal has escalated and has now fully penetrated the consumer psyche.
While there are still no end to the jokes on Twitter about the likes of spaghetti bolog-neighs, the issue has become so serious as to affect purchasing patterns.
Exclusive research for Retail Week conducted by ICM showed that 45% of shoppers say they will avoid buying meat from grocers caught up in the scandal. And that is despite the assurances from players such as Tesco that it will set up new DNA testing to ensure this never happens again.
Most of those consumers surveyed believe responsibility lies with suppliers and manufacturers but that is little consolation. Consumers have relationships retailers, not suppliers, and it is that relationship that will suffer.
While it now looks like we won’t see an end to this scandal for some time, retailers need to work fast to ensure the trust they’ve built up doesn’t evaporate. And consumers should be confident that what the label says - whether it’s premium quality of part of a value range - is what’s actually inside.
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