SuperValu encourages Irish shoppers to buy Irish and support local for Guaranteed Irish Food Month
80% of survey respondents underestimate the positive impact of shopping local, whereby for every €1 spent on Irish goods, €5 comes back to the Irish economy*
Print1 June 2021
To mark Guaranteed Irish Food Month, SuperValu is partnering with Guaranteed Irish to encourage shoppers to buy Irish and support local this June. The call comes as a staggering 93% of respondents to a survey said they try to buy Irish foods when they shop.
The research also shows that when it comes to buying Irish, the top four reasons included: to support jobs (76%), support local producers (72%), the quality of local food is better (51%) and because shopping local has less of an environmental impact (47%).
However, the research showed that respondents underestimate the positive return of shopping local and the positive impact it can have on economic recovery following Covid-19. Eurostats research shows that for every €1 spent on Irish goods, €5 comes back to the Irish economy, a boost which could be hugely beneficial to local producers as they look to rebound following the pandemic. 80% of the survey respondents underestimated this return: 47% of consumers believe that for every €1 spent it delivers €1 to the Irish economy, 33% believe it delivers twice the return, €2 for every €1 spent, and only 20% of respondents recognise that for every €1 spent on Irish goods, €5 comes back to the Irish economy. With Ibec stating that 250,000 jobs are linked to the agri-food sector, imagine if everyone understood how simple it was to support the Irish economy.
Consumers also think they are spending more on Irish products since Covid, with 20% of respondents stating they are spending close to an additional €10 weekly on Irish products. In line with previous research, consumers said when it comes to buying Irish 72% try to buy staple products, such as bread, dairy and meats, while 40% prefer to select Irish artisan food products such as jams, sauces and cheeses.
“We have always believed in supporting local and this has taken on added importance during Covid-19,” said Ray Kelly, marketing director, Musgrave Retail Partners. “Throughout the pandemic we have been doing what we can to support local producers and to generate awareness of Irish brands through our work with Food Academy, our Monday Market initiative and Sustainability Sundays. This June as the country reopens to hospitality, we want to go a step further and call on the Irish public to buy Irish and support local whether it’s your local food producer, shop or café for Guaranteed Irish Food Month.”
“At SuperValu 75% of all our goods are sourced in Ireland, supporting a massive 1,800 Irish suppliers so we know first-hand the importance of supporting local Irish producers,” Kelly added. “Today’s research shows that a massive 80% of consumers underestimate the positive return of shopping local, this June if consumers purchased one additional Irish product weekly, imagine the positive impact we could have on jobs throughout Ireland.”
According to the new research 30% of consumers recognise SuperValu as the leading retailer when it comes to stocking the best Irish food products. A further 79% of respondents said they keep an eye out for the Guaranteed Irish logo when they are doing their food shopping.
Speaking about the launch, Bríd O’Connell, CEO Guaranteed Irish said: “In supporting Guaranteed Irish Food Month this June and through initiatives such as Monday Market, SuperValu are encouraging their customers to stand up for Irish producers and support local. Research by Guaranteed Irish showed that 70% of consumers look for an Irish quality mark of “trust” and 77% want to know if the ingredients are truly Irish, so the desire to support local is there and we hope to see Irish consumers support local this food month.”
*(Source: Eurostats – Research conducted between 17 – 20 May 2021, representative sample of 521)
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