The survey also found that healthiness is more important than the cost for shoppers when it comes to choosing what food to buy.

Healthiness more important than cost

Consumers trust farmers more than supermarkets when it comes to food safety, according to a new report.

Figures from NatCen's British Social Attitudes Survey show that 58 per cent of people trust farmers to make sure food is safe to eat.


In contrast, just 33 per cent of people said they trust the government, while a similar percentage (34 per cent) said they trusted supermarkets.

"This may be because these organisations are viewed as either being motivated by profit either directly or indirectly or it may be the result of food scares," said Caireen Roberts, research director at NatCen Social Research.

The survey also found that healthiness is more important than the cost for shoppers when it comes to choosing what food to buy.

Over 80 per cent said that it matters "a great deal" or "quite a lot." But less than half (47 per cent) said it matters that food cost is low.

Furthermore, the majority of the public said that it matters that food has not gone through a lot of processing (69 per cent). They also said it is important the farmer or grower is paid fairly (58 per cent).

NatCen says that further research will be needed to see whether the public's attitudes change over the coming years.