The research is clear: Transparency builds trust and is vital to growth and success for today’s food system.  

Leaders in food and agriculture gathered at The Center for Food Integrity’s Transparency Summit 2024, Oct. 22-24 in Chicago, where they discovered tools to implement transparency across stakeholder groups. 

“CFI uses research to determine what matters most to consumers as they make food-buying decisions and the critical role of transparency in those decisions. At the Summit, we provided practical guidelines on how to put transparency into action and, just as important, what pitfalls to avoid,” said Charlie Arnot, CFI CEO.  

Arnot shared insights from the CFI’s innovative Transparency Assessment and Strategy, which is being used by companies to evaluate and improve their transparency practices. 

In addition, leaders from farms, food processors and retailers shared their experiences in implementing transparency. Researchers provided the latest findings on consumer attitudes and perceptions. 

One of the highlights of the event was a consumer panel made up of a cross-section of consumers who were familiar with food issues. The individuals shared their perspectives and answered questions about what influences their choices when shopping. 

Read more about the Summit in these media reports: 

Consumers hone in on ingredients in quest for transparency

Progressive Grocer

“Transparency may be a word that denotes openness, but there remains some murkiness over what, exactly, consumers know and want to know about the products they consume. That’s one takeaway from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) Transparency Summit 2024…  During the first full day of the event, audience members heard from a diverse panel of five consumers who described themselves as interested in and fairly knowledgeable about food, drink and other consumables and care products. When asked what they wanted from CPGs and retailers, they said that they want to be able to find and understand information about products, including ingredients; as one female participant put it, “Ingredients we can pronounce.” 

Transparency: More consumers Google ingredients while shopping

Supermarket Perimeter

“A panel of five consumers who identified as being curious and somewhat knowledgeable about food was recruited to be interviewed live and on stage at The Center for Food Integrity Transparency Summit …. The consensus among the panelists was they want more information about the ingredients in the foods they purchase. Several panelists said they will Google ingredients they perceive as questionable when in the supermarket but would prefer a QR code to learn more about the ingredients.”