The majority of UK shoppers check the country of origin when purchasing food, drink, household products and even petfood, according to new research from Perception Research Services (PRS).

In a poll of 1,000 shoppers, PRS found 89% checked where fresh food came from before purchasing - alcohol scored second highest (66%) and packaged food third (60%).

The research also found shoppers would like to see the provenance of a product clearly communicated - 93% of fresh food shoppers said they wanted this information available in store, with 90% wanting to see it printed on packaged foods. A third of Brits claimed they would pay more for a product made in the UK.

“These findings show that brands in other categories including cosmetics or personal care may well benefit from communicating their country of origin on packaging to command a premium,” said Hervé Turpault, PRS vice president of Europe. “Young shoppers in particular appear to be particularly sensitive to country of origin ‘beyond food’.”

Although 16 to 34-year-olds are more likely to check the country of origin of cosmetics, PRS found this age group is less likely to look for the country of origin of fresh food than older people - 85% of 16 to 34-year-olds check, compared to 93% of 45 to 74-year-olds.

It’s not an issue that’s likely to go away any day soon with almost half of all shoppers, (47%), saying that they check the country of origin of products more than they did two years ago, and only 7% stating they check the country of origin less frequently than two years ago.

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