Price is the primary barrier to more widespread buying of ethical food and drink, but this is notably down on 2019, reflecting the expansion in own-label products with ethical certifications over 2019-21. Highlighting the breadth of ethically certified own-label and presenting this as a way for shoppers to get ‘value with values’ should therefore allow the grocers to drive sales of ethical food and drink and to win favour.

The COVID-19 lockdowns and the closure of the hospitality sector for much of 2020 boosted sales of food and drink with selected ethical certifications along with overall retail food and drink sales. Media coverage linking humans’ environmental impact with the spread of global pandemics also prompted many shoppers to actively seek out ethically certified products.

Widespread consumer doubts over whether their actions make a difference to the environment present a challenge to any government or organisation looking to steer people towards more sustainable habits or brands with ethical certifications looking to gain sales. Consumers’ uncertainty over what the different ethical certifications stand for and over which ethical issues to prioritise will also engender apathy and hinder certified products’ ability to gain sales.

It is imperative therefore for food and drink companies to give tangible details of what the different ethical certifications stand for and to prove to shoppers that they are making a positive difference by buying. Demonstrating the potential here, clearer indication of where the extra money from certified products went would persuade 56% of adults to buy ethical food and drink more often.

• The impact of COVID-19 on sales of food and drink with ethical certifications.

• Purchasing of food and drink with ethical certifications by type.

• Shoppers’ motivations for buying ethical food and drink.

• Principal barriers to more widespread purchase of ethical food and drink.

• Ethical issues that consumers see as top priorities for food and drink companies.

The first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the UK at the end of January 2020, with a small number of cases in February. Rapidly rising case numbers led to the first national lockdown, starting on 23 March. It wasn't until 15 June that non-essential stores were allowed to reopen, followed by pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers on 4 July and many beauty businesses on 13 July.

By September, it had become clear that the UK was at the start of a second wave, and social distancing measures were intensified. Continued increases in infection numbers led to Wales implementing a two-week national lockdown from 19 October, England announcing a month-long lockdown from 5 November and Scotland introducing a new five-level system of coronavirus restrictions.

Despite these restrictions, however, case numbers continued to increase. All four UK nations tightened restrictions further in January 2021, effectively leading to a full UK-wide lockdown.

On 22 February, Boris Johnson announced the roadmap to an easing of restrictions in England, starting with the reopening of schools on 8 March, followed by easing of restrictions on outdoor gatherings on 29 March, and with a hoped end to all restrictions by 21 June. However, on 14 June, Johnson announced that the date for easing of all restrictions had been put back to 19 July amid concerns over the new Delta variant.

The Welsh government eased restrictions on 7 June allowing up to 30 people to meet outdoors and for three households to meet indoors. However, it has advised that no further easing of restrictions is likely until mid-July. The Scottish government eased restrictions allowing up to eight people to meet outdoors and up to six people from three different households to meet indoors on 22 June. The original plan was to move the whole country to the lowest level of restrictions, level zero, on 28 June. However, this has since been pushed back to 9 August.

The UK’s vaccination programme started on 8 December 2020, with the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines licenced for use in the UK. Some 62% of the population aged over 18 had received two doses of the vaccine by 28 June 2021, according to government data.

Mintel’s economic assumptions are based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s central scenario included in its March 2021 Economic and Fiscal Outlook Report. After the fall of 9.9% over the course of 2020, the scenario suggests that UK GDP will grow by 4% in 2021 and 7.3% in 2022.

GDP isn’t expected to return to pre-COVID-19 levels until the second quarter of 2022, although this is six months earlier than the OBR forecast in November 2020, mainly because of the faster than expected rollout of vaccines.

Unemployment is expected to peak at 6.5% in the fourth quarter of 2021. As with GDP, this is more positive than the OBR’s November forecast, but the OBR does raise the prospect of long-term scarring on employment, especially in the more exposed retail and hospitality sectors.

This Report explores consumers’ attitudes towards ethical issues in the food and drink supply chain. It also explores their ethical food and drink shopping behaviour.

The definition of ‘ethical’ in this Report is broad, covering for example, but not limited to, animal welfare, environmental welfare and worker welfare, and other such issues that businesses might cover as part of their corporate social responsibility commitments/strategies. Due to the diverse nature of this subject not all areas can be explored within the remit of this Report.