Local food use by pub restaurants: a missed marketing opportunity?

The market for local foods has arisen through consumers looking to ‘reconnect' with their foods and by producers and farmers who have looked to new markets in order to retain a greater share of the profits. Using a largely quantitative approach, results suggest that consumers believe that local foods deliver superior freshness, taste and quality along with the ‘feel-good’ factor of supporting local suppliers and producers with the added benefit of retaining income in the local community. The majority of respondents surveyed claimed to be interested in local food use within pub restaurants, with many stating that they actively seek a pub restaurant that promotes their use of local foods. Over half of the sample was most interested in just a basic claim to use local food where possible, to have named provenance for specific ingredients where possible or to have a daily specials board with a selection of meals using local ingredients. It is anticipated that the findings from this research can be used to stimulate debate on the range of messages that can be used to promote local food use and encourage the sector to embrace the communication of local food values in order to gain competitive advantage.