Transparency: Competitive Advantage for the Food System
Being transparent is the right thing to do. It can also yield benefits for those throughout the food and agriculture value chain.
At The Center for Food Integrity’s 2024 Transparency Summit, Oct. 22-24 in Chicago, food system leaders will come together to create actionable strategies for integrating transparency across the food and agriculture value chain.
A tremendous opportunity exists for the food system to achieve the transparency consumers crave. I hope you will join us for the Summit to learn how to make the most of the opportunity.
Our research at The Center for Food Integrity has proven that consumers value transparency – and they expect it. This year, our Illuminate™ research series has presented findings from our partners that show transparency can be just as valuable to those who produce, process and market food by creating market opportunities.
Transparency leads to greater trust and consumers are more loyal to brands they trust, FMI-The Food Industry Association found in its consumer research and shared with CFI members.
Just how much transparency matters to consumers is striking:
- Three-quarters of consumers say transparency is important to them. (NielsenIQ)
- 55% of consumers want to know more than what is on the label. (FMI)
- 82% of consumers are likely to seek out more information by scanning a QR code. (FMI)
- 65% of consumers would like companies to make sustainability practices more visible. (Hartman Group)
Transparency matters to consumers and they will seek out companies, brands and products that provide the information they want.
Nancy Wilson, senior director of quality assurance, safety and risk management for Wawa, explains the role transparency plays in the organization’s strategy:
Those in the food system who commit to making transparency a priority stand to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. We also know it takes a commitment to achieve.
As we have worked with organizations through our Transparency Assessment, we’ve helped them understand that transparency is more than communicating about complicated issues. It’s a lens through which all aspects of a company or industry are viewed. Transparency is behavior that affects every level and every aspect, from the top down.
We invite you to join us for the CFI Transparency Summit 2024 where we’ll provide the tools to implement and capture the benefits of transparency. Through hands-on workshops, participants will work through case studies and develop tailored action plans so they leave with practical tools to build and enhance transparency across their organizations.
I look forward to seeing you at the Summit where we will work together to make the food system more transparent.
About The Author
Mickie French is an accomplished global expert in marketing and communications with a focus on helping companies develop and activate a more purpose-driven strategy. Her depth of experience across the food value chain, from agriculture to ingredients and CPG, has made her a trusted strategy and innovation partner. She is particularly passionate about bringing together multiple stakeholders to drive significant impact on global sustainability issues.