Farmers are the most trusted

By: Tisza Andrea Date: 2025. 03. 28. 16:59

According to the Food Trust Report 2024 of EIT Food Consumer Observatory, European consumers have remained distrustful about food industry operators.

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/4.

The report – which surveys 19,500 consumers in 18 countries across Europe – finds that farmers are still the most trusted actors in the food system: 67% of respondents consistently express confidence in them; 51% trust retailers, 47% believe in producers and 46% put their faith in food authorities. The proportion of consumers who consider sustainability when making food choices has reduced further, from 51% in 2020 to 46% today, and 51% still prioritise following a diet with a positive health influence. When asked what they would most like to change about their diet, 51% of Europeans say they want healthier food, while 12% name more affordable groceries.

One in two Europeans want healthier food and 12% want more affordable food prices

Few people avoid meat and dairy products

Europeans eat twice as much meat as the global average – and twice as much as the Eat Lancet Planetary Health Diet recommends. However, 63% of the European population are satisfied with their current diet and only 15% feel the need to change. For 65% of those who aren’t satisfied with their current eating habits the top priority is to eat healthier, while sustainability is cited by only 5%. Commitment to a sustainable lifestyle seems to be declining: while back in 2020 78% were still trying to live in an environmentally friendly way, this figure dropped to 70% in 2024. 18 % of Europeans avoid meat and dairy products, despite the fact that animal-based foods have a big environmental impact.

From 2020 to 2024, the share of those following a sustainable diet has fallen from 51% to 46%

Knowledge deficit hinders the proliferation of plant-based diets

More than half of European consumers plan to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption in line with dietary recommendations. However, protein intake is already considered excessive and 30% would like to increase it even further. Although 44% would like to reduce the environmental impact of their diet, the survey shows that there are still few people willing to switch from animal-based foods to plant-based alternatives. One of the main barriers is lack of knowledge: only 46% feel they have enough information about food sustainability and only 41% can judge how environmentally friendly a product is.

Only 13% prefer a purely plant-based diet

Trust can be built by cooperation

According to the report, doctors and health professionals are the most trusted source of information on healthy eating, with 66% of consumers having absolute or very high trust in them. When it comes to food sustainability, scientists and academics top the list of trustworthiness, with 57% of respondents trusting them. There is a lot of contradictory information available in the food industry – especially on the internet. Building trust is a time-consuming process that requires cooperation by industry players. //