Irish food too pricey, say 80% of shoppers

NEARLY eight out of 10 shoppers believe Irish food is too expensive, a survey has revealed.

And only 30% of consumers believe food in Irish stores is value for money.

ShelfLife magazine, which conducted the survey, warned the buy-Irish message was weakening.

“It appears Irish shoppers still like the idea of buying Irish food and drink but when it comes to price, they now vote with their pockets,” said magazine editor Stephen Conmy.

“The buy-Irish message is still alive but price now seems to firmly dictate eating habits,” he said. “This trend has been gaining ground over the past few years.”

The chief executive of the Consumers’ Association, Dermott Jewell said the survey underlined the impact of German retail chains on the Irish market.

“Aldi and Lidl have come into this country and offered produce of comparable quality to Irish goods,” Mr Jewell said.

“Most Irish consumers, I believe, want to support good Irish produce but the reality is, price-wise, shoppers have been left with little choice.”

The survey showed price was a key factor. A majority of shoppers conceded they will choose cheaper, imported, food if the equivalent Irish food was more expensive.

Overall, 77% of people surveyed believed Irish food was more expensive than rival imports.

However, 78% said they trusted Irish food more than imported products.

An estimated 34% insisted they would buy Irish even when it was more expensive than the imported product.

The survey also discovered traceability was high on shoppers’ agenda. An impressive 92% said it was important to know the origin of their purchases.

ShelfLife said the survey was conducted in Dublin where a questionnaire was put to shoppers emerging from Tesco, Aldi, Dunnes and SuperValu stores.

Just 29% of those surveyed thought food in Irish stores was value for money.

In two-thirds of cases, shoppers said Irish products would lose out if they were more expensive than an imported brand.

Mr Conmy said: “Worryingly, a high level of people surveyed felt Irish food was more expensive than imported food.

“However, there is no evidence to suggest this is the case. In fact, most Irish dairy products are cheaper than imported dairy goods.”

He added: “Irish farmers have also complained that supermarkets are profiting too much from Irish farm produce.”