‘Nostalgia clouds the discussion about additives’

Consumer trust in the food industry is low, but the cause is not clear. “What is clear is that the industry will have to do something to improve its communication with consumers,” says Director Philip den Ouden (FNLI).

“Manufacturers need to become more visible. They must also discuss with each other how they communicate certain things, such as additives,” says Philip den Ouden, Director of the Federation of Netherlands Food Industry (FNLI). “Many consumers are mistrustful of additives.”

The report called ‘Spreek Smakelijk’ (Talk Tastily), commissioned by FNLI and published earlier this year, concludes that trust in the sector ‘cannot be taken for granted’. Can you explain what is meant by this?

“Six years ago we published a study called ‘De Stille Kracht’ (The Silent Force), looking at the state of the industry. With this new report we want to evaluate what we’ve achieved since then. One of the conclusions is that there’s a lot going on. We’re achieving healthy and sustainable improvements in collaboration with other parties, such as the government. Things like ‘Jongeren op Gezond Gewicht’, for example, which is a healthy weight programme for youngsters, healthy food in school canteens, recycling plastic packaging waste, and reducing salt, saturated fat and calories in products. The fact that many consumers still lack trust in the industry is because we don’t ‘sell’ our industry to them successfully. That’s also difficult to some extent, such as with respect to improving product composition. Young cheese has 22% less salt nowadays. Consumers haven’t noticed or tasted that change and still think it’s just as tasty as before, but that’s only possible if you don’t promote the fact that it’s been reduced. However, to paint a true picture, it’s important that we do tell consumers about our efforts to improve product composition. So we need to find a different way to enter into dialogue with consumers.”

What form could that different way of communicating take? 

“The ‘Week van de Levensmiddelenindustrie’ (Week of the Food Industry) is a good example. We organised it last year for the first time, in the north of the Netherlands. Local factories held open days and around 1,000 secondary school pupils attended. This year we’re extending the Week to the Rijnmond and Ede/Wageningen regions too. I think that’s what needs to happen: manufacturers must show their faces and become more open. We must take communication to the next level and explain about the processes and products face to face. We must also organise the product-related information better and make it more widely available.” 

‘Manufacturers must show their faces and become more open’

“Based on the findings from ‘Spreek Smakelijk’, FNLI commissioned research firm Motivaction to draw up the first ratings system for the food industry, called the ‘Waarderingsmeter Levensmiddelenindustrie’. The first Waarderingsmeter not only indicates consumers’ appreciation of the industry but also includes advice on how to improve the rating. For example, there’s advice to help tackle consumers’ misconceptions about additives. Many of them think that ingredients with an E number are harmful, for instance. Some manufacturers – FNLI members – contribute to those suspicions. Arla’s new slogan ‘100% natural, 0% rubbish’ refers to additives in a way that the mistrustful but not particularly well-informed consumer immediately identifies with. In a Zonnatura commercial, a bee inadvertently flies into the factory of the ‘Big Food Company’ and is disgusted to see words like ‘disodium guanylate’, i.e. E627.” Although Den Ouden finds the idea of a bee getting lost inside the Big Food amusing, he acknowledges: “Within the industry, we’ll have to discuss the mixed messages we’re giving off to consumers.”

The issue of additives will also have to be discussed with consumers. But how?

“We will have to be clear on why we make certain decisions, why we choose to use certain ingredients. We’ll do that in a way that is aligned with today’s expectations. So not by blowing our own trumpet, but first listening to the questions people have and supporting the associated discussions on digital platforms.”
 
The recently launched Waarderingsmeter has more advice for the industry: be transparent about animal welfare and environmental impact, explain why healthy and sustainable products cost more, enter into dialogue with consumers about which information should be included on the packaging, use the supermarket as a channel through which to inform consumers and make healthy and sustainable products affordable.

That’s a whole list of things for the industry to do and no easy task. How achievable is that, do you think?

Den Ouden, optimistically: “The industry supports these plans. After ‘De Stille Kracht’ (2010) we also managed to create sufficient momentum among our members to achieve the plans and we’re working well together with our chain partners.” He is looking forward to the next Waarderingsmeter with confidence and actually sees only one cloud on the horizon that could disrupt clear communication between consumers and the industry: “People can be very nostalgic when it comes to food.”