Consumers Rate Food Industry
Constuncrs are generally their households. Some 30 nutritional labeling and manufacturers’ advertising,
satisfied with the food they percent expressed reser- ingredient labeling. Still, with over one-third saying
“ie s * orea where vatios, but only 4 percent only about half found such they are rarely or never
they buy it. claimed they are rarely or information to their liking, satisfied (average
They said so in a recent never satisifed. In sharp contrast, a dissatisfaction score, over
nationwide survey. But when An even larger share -70 majority of shoppers en- 3), but expressed general
It came to the nitty gritty, percent - reported they are dorsed the reliability and satisfaction with ads
the pollsters detected a just about always satisfied truthfulness of ads spon- sponsored by food stores
strong undercurrent of with food stores in general, sored by individual food (score,, over 2).
frustration and displeasure This high level of consumer stores. More than half of all
with our food system. approval broke fairly evenly To determine average survey participants claimed
The survey, taken in the across regions and levels of consumer they are highly pleased with
spring of 1974, asked con- demographic groups. dissatisfaction, survey all seven major food product
sumers how satisfied they But satisfaction with members developed a five- groups: meat and poultry,
were with: foods they buy, product and shopping in- point scale: 1-always dairy products and eggs,
stores where they usually formation proved a different satisfied, 2-almost always bakery and cereal products,
shop, product or shopping matter. Consumers were satisfied, 3-sometimes fresh fruits and vegetables,
information, seven food mo st unhappy with the satisfied, 4- rarely and prepared or convenience
product groups, and 31 in- “reliability and truth- satisfied, and 5--never foods,
dividual food items. fulness” of advertising by satisfied. The higher the Even so, consumers were
Two of every three of the f oo d product manufacturers, score, the greater the least happy with con
survely’s 1,831 respondents More than a third said this dissatisfaction. venience products and most
said they are always or kind of information seldom For example, consumers satisfied with dairy products
almost always satisfied with 0 r never pleases them. They strongly doubted the and eggs. Bakery products
food products they buy for had fewer gripes about reliability of food and processed fruits and
BEACONFEEDS
Does my present feed supplier compete with me for consumer
feed dollars by growing or processing turkeys?
Does my present feed supplier have "soft" financing terms that
encourages inefficient producers to remain in turkey production?
Would I like to do business with a company specializing in
nutrition?
Would I like to have open lines of communication to the "decision
makers" with the feed supplier I am doing business with?
5. Am I interested in getting both a quality product and good service
from my feed supplier?
If your answer is "yes" to the above questions, please call collect
to the following Beacon Marketing personnel.
R. E. RUDISILL
Phone 854-2281
Let’s Talk
TURKEY
WHY NOT ASK YOURSELF, THESE QUESTIONS
AS TURKEY PRODUCERS??
BEAC^EEDS
Beacon Feeds, York, PA Phone 717-843-9033
BEACON REPS.
RICHARD B. KENDIG CHESTER WEIST
Phone 302-478-3058
BEACIWFEEDS
Phone 741-2600
A'i'llantfastfif Farming, »SatuPday? Jark‘26,1975-^
vegetables also rated
favorably.
Past Grievances
Despite contentment with
food products and marketing
services in general, 70
percent of the shoppers said
they’d been disappointed
with certain foods or food
stores during the past year.
But of those who found
fault with a specific food
item, only 7 percent actually
complained to the
manufacturer. This sur
prised pollsters, since an
earlier survey revealed tha‘
consumers consider writing
to manufacturers and
talking with store managers
the two most effective ways
of settling differences.
Too, evidence suggests
that most manufacturers are
highly responsive to con
sumer grievances, and in
most cases will grant
refunds or replacements
without requiring proof that
a product is faulty.
Even fewer dissatisfied
consumers - 3 percent -
complained to public of
ficials or consumer
protection agencies. They
were more likely to protest
to food store management
(50 percent) or participate in
boycotts against
manufacturers or food stores
(12 percent).
Common outlet
But an overwhelming
majority of dissatisfied
customers simply com
plained to friends and
relatives. The implication . .
letters on file with food
manufacturers and public
officials don’t begin to
measure the extent of
consumer unrest, according
to the survey report.
Just over 40 percent of all
survey participants had
actively complained to
manufacturers, store of
ficials, and public agencies,
or joined boycotts. The
survey team arbitrarily
termed this group “ac
tivists” and tried to deter
mine how representative
they are.
Several demographic
crossbreaks of consumer
“activists” yielded this
profile: He or she is likely to:
live m the Northeast; be
under 55 years old; come
from a household of more
than two people; have
college background; earn
more than $15,000; live in the
suburbs.
Other demographic checks
showed that satisfaction with
food products is significantly
related to age, household
size, race, community type,
consumer activism, and to a
lesser extent, occupation.
Age a factor.
The younger the shopper,
the greater the discontent.
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m »
X I ANHYDROUS AMMOMIA J FOOD CO.
2313 Norman Rd., Lancaster, Pa. Ph. 397-5152
And contrary to the popular
notion that senior citizens
complain the most, shoppers
55 and over proved the least
vocal of any age group.
Consumers from large
households tended to be
more critical than those
from smaller households.
And non-whites were con
siderably less pleased with
food purchased for their
homes than were whites.
Dissatisfaction with foods
varied with- place of
residence - rural people
didn’t complain as much as
city dwellers. Also, levels of
frustration were higher for
activists than non-activists.
Various population groups
also differed sharply in their
assessments of convenience
foods, fresh fruits, and fresh
vegetables - the product
groups with relatively high
dissatisfaction ratings.
Price, of course, proved
the chief gripe against all
food groups and indidivual
food items. People were
most unhappy with the price
of beef, pork, tomatoes,
potatoes, and milk. At the
tune of the survey, these
prices were near or at record
levels and rising rapidly. In
contrast, the tab for
processed fruits and
vegetables drew little
criticism.
Except for price, specific
sources of dissatisfaction
varied from product to
product.
Convenient, but
Of all convenience foods,
skillet main dishes -
packaged products added to
meat to make stews, hashes,
etc. - got the worst scores.
Frozen TV dinners also
came under fire for price,
taste, healthfulness, size of
portions, and truthfulness of
picture and label on the
package. Toaster pastries
and tarts were singled out
for high price and lack of
nourishment.
Tomatoes got the highest
dissatisfaction rating of the
31 individual products in the
survey. Consumers had bad
things to say about price,
ripeness, taste, and ap
pearance.
FREE' LEGAL ASSISTANCE
FOR THOSE UNABLE TO PAY
IS AVAILABLE IN MORE COM
MUNITIES TODAY THAN AT
ANY TIME IN U.S. HISTORY.
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