Consumers are gaining in their trust of large consumer-goods brands, but a majority of them are still concerned about finding the foods and beverages they want, according to a poll by the Consumer Brands Association.
The poll, the latest in a series that the CBA has been doing since the start of the pandemic, gauges consumer reactions and trust relating to various issues. The general level of concern about the pandemic remains high. The number of respondents who said they were “very concerned” about it started at 36% in mid-March, rose to 58% in June and stood at 57% in September.
Concerns over access to food still persist, even though shortages of commodities like meat and canned soup are over. Fears over access to food & beverage was expressed by 69% of respondents. That was ahead of concern over access to OTC medicine (66%) and personal care products (64%); only cleaning products, at 74%, came out higher on the concern scale.
Perhaps paradoxically, trust in the CPG industry in general has grown. In April, 37% said they had greater trust than before in companies that make brand-name consumer goods; by September, that rose to 47%.
