Consumer Concern
Over the Use of
Pesticides
to Grow Food

Table of Contents
I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY3
II INTRODUCTION 5
A Background 5
B Research Objectives6
C Method and Sample8
III DETAILED FINDINGS11
1 Consumer Differences 11
1.1 Overview of segmentation11
1.2 Avoiders11
1.3 Pragmatic 12
1.4 Headline Reactives 14
1.5 Discerners 15
1.6 Two Key Mindsets in Relation to the Use of Pesticides to Grow
Food: Mainstream and Discerner16
1.6.1 Ethnic Minority and Rural Sub-groups17
2 Knowledge and Understanding of Pesticides and Their Use 18
2.1 Overview18
2.2 Spontaneous Awareness and Knowledge18
2.3 Understanding of Pesticides 19
2.3.1 What are pesticides and why are they used19
2.3.2 Perceptions of potential risks from pesticides 20
2.3.3 Understanding of food categories affected 22
2.3.4 Strategies used to overcome concern over pesticides24
2.3.5 Overall Salience: Consideration of pesticides relative
to other issues27
3 Consumer Information Needs28
3.1 Needs from ‘Authority’28
3.2 Role of Assurance Schemes32
3.3 Role of Retailer Schemes 34
3.4 Labelling Products35
3.5 Further Communication Requirements 36
3.5.1 Mainstream 37
3.5.2 Discerners38
IV CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS 40
V APPENDIX 44