Earning and maintaining social license, the privilege of operating with minimal formalized restrictions, depends largely on building trust. This begins by demonstrating ways in which your values align with those of consumers.
Of the three primary elements that drive trust—confidence (shared values and ethics), competence (skills and ability) and influential others (family, friends and credentialed individuals),—our peer-reviewed and published research shows that confidence, or shared values, is three-to-five times more important than competence in building trust.
Consumers have been asking for more transparency, but what does that mean? Our 2013 consumer trust research defines seven elements of transparency and provides a basis for effectively addressing growing skepticism about today’s food.