Last Thursday, June 15th, at an event called ‘Cracking Sustainability in the Face of Rising Costs', held by Guaranteed Irish and sponsored by SuperValu and Centra, Fiona Twomey of Bord Bia, announced the results of their recent survey, which found Irish consumers remain committed to supporting locally produced food. Almost two in three buy local produce on a weekly basis, and over half expect to increase their frequency of purchase of local produce in the next six months.
The expert panel of speakers at the event in Cork included Owen Keogh, Head of Sustainability at Musgrave, Brian Murphy, Partner Lead, Best Managed Companies Programme and Audit & Assurance Partner, Deloitte, Emma Walls, Commercial Director at Glenisk and Fiona Twomey, Global Retail Specialist, Bord Bia.
Research carried out by Red C for 2023 confirmed that 79% of consumers who bought from Guaranteed Irish businesses believe they are supporting a sustainable economy, with 69% agreeing that buying from Guaranteed Irish businesses helped reduce carbon footprint.
A survey by SuperValu in May this year showed that 99% of shoppers buy Irish products while 83% would be influenced to buy a product that displays the Guaranteed Irish ‘G’ symbol.
The most recent survey by Bord Bia showed that consumers are more intent on buying Irish products to support local businesses than ever.
Owen Keogh, Musgrave Group, Head of Sustainability, said Musgrave has invested in sustainability over many decades. "I am delighted to see so many of the Guaranteed Irish members also committed to making their businesses and products more sustainable. By harnessing our collective effort, we can really accelerate the progress made in the Irish Food and Drinks sector. "
Emma Walls from Glenisk said that her company’s focus on sustainability has been a major part of its success. “Our customers can have confidence that buying locally is buying sustainably from a Guaranteed Irish business,” she added.
Brian Murphy, Deloitte Partner, spoke about of the Deloitte Global 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, which highlighted employees in those categories “have high expectations from business leaders and expect them to drive progress on DEI, societal impact, climate change and environmental sustainability”.
Adding to the atmosphere of the event, were local Cork based food and drink suppliers, showcasing, and sampling their products. These included Kate Dempsey (Kinsale Mead), Leonie Lynch (Juspy), Maurice Gilbert (Ballyhoura Apple Farm), Colette Twomey (Clonakilty) and Hanna Backmo (Hanna’s Bees Wraps Ltd).
The event concluded with Brid O’Connell, CEO Guaranteed Irish, welcoming the result of all three surveys, which each highlighted the importance of collectively promoting provenance with pride.