Scots trust Scotch Beef and demand local

An independent survey commissioned by Quality Meat Scotland has revealed Scottish consumers have a high level of trust in the Scotch Beef brand.

The results also reveal a swing to buying local beef with that almost half of those surveyed (47%) stating buying local beef is now more important to them than it was in mid-January.

The YouGov Plc online survey of 1094 adults in Scotland, undertaken from 15th – 18th February, revealed 14% of Scots who are aware of the Scotch beef logo now trust the Scotch Beef brand more they did prior to the horsemeat issue hitting the press in mid-January.

A further 67% of these respondents stated their trust in Scotch Beef has remained unchanged compared to a month ago.

On buying local, those surveyed were asked “would you say buying local beef has more, less or about the same amount of importance to you compared to this time last month?”

The responses revealed 47% viewed buying local beef more important to them with 37% stating it was neither more nor less important. Of the remainder, 11% stated they “never buy local beef” with three per cent saying they “don’t know” and just two per cent saying it was “less important” to them.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

“Scotch Beef is widely recognised as a quality product. So it’s good to see that this survey clearly demonstrates that customers are increasingly putting their trust in the Scotch brand and I’m sure this will continue.

“One positive outcome from the horsemeat issues is that people are now thinking more carefully about the provenance of the beef they purchase, and eating quality assured Scotch Beef is providing the reassurance that many people are rightly looking for.”

Jim McLaren, Chairman of Quality Meat Scotland, welcomed the results. “The good news is these results give a clear indication that consumers in Scotland continue to have a high level of trust in the Scotch Beef brand.

“This is a clear indication that there is a good level of understanding among shoppers of what the Scotch Beef brand stands for in terms of world-leading traceability and quality.

“Our industry has made a major commitment to quality assurance from farm to processor and this puts our brands in a strong position at a time like this.”

Note to editors: All figures are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 1094 adults in Scotland. Fieldwork was undertaken between 15th - 18th February 2013.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Scottish adults (aged 18+).