Shoppers prefer food produced in UK amid trade deal debates
18th June 2025
Following news on numerous trade deals between the UK and other countries, including the US and India, new research by Red Tractor has revealed that 94% of UK consumers trust British-produced food more than food from other countries.
Nine in ten people (90%) want to see more food produced in the UK. Meanwhile, just around a third of people say they trust food produced in the US (33%) and India (31%). This marks a steep decline from the Index’s 2023 findings of 74% and 62%, respectively.
Many people believe these countries have lower animal welfare standards than the UK. Nearly three out of five Brits (57%) believe the US has lower standards than our own, potentially causing concern about products entering the UK market. This view marks an increase from 46% in 2023.
The higher level of trust in food can be caused by several factors, with rising confidence across all aspects of UK food production and assurance. 90% of adults now believe that food produced in the UK is safe [2024: 83%, 2023: 72%], 88% say it is good quality [2024: 81%, 2023: 73%], and 86% are confident that UK food is traceable through the supply chain [2024: 86%, 2023: 64%].
The UK’s record on animal welfare is another key driver of this trust, with more than four in five people (83%) recognising the UK’s high animal welfare standards as the reason to trust homegrown food.
‘Dedication to quality, safety and animal welfare’
Britain’s farmers are the trusted guardians of our weekly shop, with 88% of consumers having trust in them, followed closely by assurance schemes (79%).
When asked about which group is the most responsible for ensuring food is safe and of good quality in the UK, food assurance and inspection schemes came out on top, followed by the government and farmers.
The findings, which draw on research from over 2,000 UK consumers, form part of Red Tractor’s annual ‘Trust in Food Index’, first produced in 2021 and designed to provide the most comprehensive assessment of British consumer attitudes to food.
Shoppers responding to this survey were clear about their support for British food and farming. They acknowledged, among others, that British farmers are being undercut by imported goods.
For British shoppers, if they are going to buy imported food, closer to home is better. Ireland is the most trusted country outside the UK to produce beef, chicken, pork and dairy products. Ireland’s animal welfare standards are considered very close to the UK’s.
Alistair Mackintosh, chairman of Red Tractor, said: “The world-leading standards to which British farmers operate set us apart from our international competitors.
“It’s this dedication to quality, safety and animal welfare that underpins the trust consumers place in British food — and it’s something our farmers continue to earn every day through their hard work and high standards. The results from the survey highlight the value that UK shoppers place in trusting UK-produced food.
“As discussions continue around opening the UK market to US beef imports, we must be clear: our priority should be championing British produce — reared to world-leading standards and independently assured through third-party assurance schemes like Red Tractor, reassuring shoppers that items have gone through rigorous checks before reaching the supermarket.”
Mr Mackintosh added that the UK government must value and continue to defend British food standards and the farming industry by ensuring that any imports meet the same high bar. “Consumers are clear that it is important their food is produced here in the UK and rightly expect that what they put in their shopping basket reflects British values. Undercutting those expectations with lower-standard imports would betray the trust that farmers and assurance schemes have worked so hard to build.
“Alongside the NFU and our industry partners, I am clear that the best way consumers can support British farmers and food is to look for the Red Tractor logo,” he concluded.
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