Consumers prioritise their health over the ethics of their shopping habits, a new study claims.

Thirty percent more people looked for health claims than ethical ones in a poll of 1,000 UK shoppers by MMR Research Worldwide.

And the number of shoppers looking for Fairtrade products fell to its lowest level since the bi-monthly poll began in September 2008.

Other findings showed the term ‘free range’ was looked for twice as often as Fairtrade, although 90% of those polled recognised the logo of the ethical supply scheme.

“The food and drink buying behaviour of the British public has been fairly consistent over the past few years in terms of ‘looked for’ product claims,” said MMR’s Mat Lintern.

“Consumers look after their own needs first, followed by animal welfare issues and regional concerns such as the need to support local producers.

“Product claims that address ethical issues facing people in faraway places drive product choice for only a minority of consumers.”

He added: “Particularly in times of economic hardship, we believe ethical and provenance claims are simply too far outside shoppers’ personal universe to warrant too much focus for the majority of brands.”

However, sales of Fairtrade products have proved resilient during the recession, with retailers including Sainsbury’s and The Co-operative Group continuing to ramp up their roster of accredited items.

Lintern added: “Despite Fairtrade not being a major purchase driver, food and drink manufacturers see the importance of Fairtrade certification for their corporate reputation. In categories such as coffee, tea and increasingly chocolate, it has become a hygiene factor.”

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