Honesty key in building public trust through food marketing

Canadian consumers have a high level of mistrust when it comes to food labels and marketing.

That was a key takeaway in a recent report from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, which showed that 62 per cent of Canadians have concerns about misleading food labels and marketing.

Instead of viewing this as a problem, the food production industry should see it as an opportunity, says veteran food marketer Jo-Ann McArthur.

At a time when more North American consumers are reportedly looking for food that is produced and packaged with sustainability in mind and that is nutritious and fresh, there is ample opportunity for those in the industry to showcase their efforts.

“What do we want from food? More transparency, more storytelling,” McArthur said while presenting to members of the food production industry at CCFI’s recent conference in Mississauga.

“We’re emotional beings first, and then you follow up with facts.”

However, authenticity and honesty are critical if these efforts are to be effective, said McArthur, who is also president of Toronto-based Nourish Food Marketing.

As more companies attempt to showcase their commitments to environmental, social and governance goals, consumers and investors are being inundated with associated marketing and messaging. It becomes harder to decipher fact from fiction.

In the last decade, many major global companies have been accused of “greenwashing” — making claims about their environmental practices that are untrue, misleading or overblown.

In the absence of standardized labelling and certification programs for sustainability, it’s up to companies to build trust with consumers, McArthur said, which is why honesty is critical, including about any shortcomings.

“We often think that, as producers, as manufacturers, we need to be perfect, and nobody’s perfect. Transparency, sustainability — it’s a journey. And often we think we’re doing the right thing and there’s new research or there’s new information, and we need to pivot. Consumers are far more accepting of this than you think.”

This type of raw honestly is not a main tenet of most advertising and marketing today, but there are examples of when it has been effective.

Last year, a website was quietly introduced to highlight a decade’s worth of public criticism of Swedish oat milk company Oatly, which has faced allegations of making false environmental claims, misleading its vegan consumer base and facilitating shady business relationships.

The website was launched by Oatly in an attempt to be open about its missteps and “consistently inconsistent” brand goals. Today, the company remains a market leader in the oat milk sector and has been consistent in its off-beat marketing centred around authenticity.

There is also the famous Avis car rental company’s “When you’re only No. 2, you try harder” ads from 1962, which took the company from a $3.2 million loss to a $1.2 million profit within a year of the campaign launch.

In 2015, Volkswagen made a public statement following the auto industry’s emissions scandal that made headlines globally.

“Our company was dishonest. We’ve totally screwed up,” it said.

In the next two years, the company underwent a major reorganization and launched a plan to rebuild its reputation and consumer trust. By 2018, it posted record-breaking sales.

“You can build trust by being transparent with your consumers … just owning your journey,” McArthur said. “It’s about progress, not perfection.”

Progress is a story that Canadian farmers can tell.

In 2020, the Saskatchewan government announced that the province’s farmers had sequestered 12.8 million tonnes of carbon on their farms through zero-till practices.

Imperfection is also a story Canadian farmers can tell — only 58 per cent of the country’s farmers say they use 4R best practices for fertilizer and nutrient management.

Experts say the industry can improve consumer trust by being open and transparent in both these areas.

This is especially true as the majority of Canadians report greater concern about misinformation in food marketing, says Ashley Bruner, research manager with the food integrity centre.

“Winning the marketing battle can cost you the public trust,” she said.

“I encourage everyone to assess your public facing communications. Are they fear based? Are they attacking others, clouding the truth for your benefit? These types of marketing campaigns can help your brand or individual product in the short term, but a disingenuous approach can ultimately break public trust and hurt everyone.”

– Delaney Seiferling is a contributor for Glacier FarmMedia.