I
t’s been said that the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach.
As a food lover, I wholeheartedly agree. However, more recently, I have seen the inverse becoming a reality across the grocery aisles, especially in the produce department: The fastest way to someone’s stomach is through their heart.
What does this mean? As shoppers have become more in tune with the ethos of companies they are buying products from, research shows they are more inclined to purchase foods certified by third-party organizations. This gives them assurance that brands are meeting environmental, workforce, sustainability, and other standards.
I’ll provide myself as an example.
The other day, I was perusing my local Raley’s for snacking tomatoes. Now, let me tell you, I am a sucker for eye-catching packaging, and there was one box that had just that. However, next to it was a simply designed paperboard box with a prominent Fair Trade Certified™ seal on the front. Looking between the two, my eyes said “go with the pretty packaging,” but my heart said, “spend the extra $1 to support sustainability, farmers, workers, and responsible business practices.”
In the end, the Fair Trade tomatoes made it into my basket.
While companies do not need certifications or logos to promote social and environmental responsibility, shoppers increasingly look for these symbols to confirm their principles are being met.
A recent survey found that 80 percent of consumers would feel more positively about a brand if it started carrying the Fair Trade mark alone. Likewise, 73 percent would pay more for a product to ensure the producers were paid a fair price; some prepared to pay up to 43 percent more per pound of bananas for that guarantee*.
Additionally, 20 percent of shoppers in North America and 35 percent of consumers globally ranked “sustainably sourced” as a critical attribute, with 19 percent in North America and 30 percent worldwide saying they would pay a premium for products that offered that quality**.
This trend has only increased as consumers have
become more aware of and educated on social and environmental issues.
Growers, give yourself an edge by letting buyers know where you are taking unique action. Retailers, appeal to your shoppers’ hearts and minds with third-party certified products featuring prominent labeling and eye-catching signage in the produce aisle. And, in turn, they will open their wallets. 
