Sainsbury's shoppers are more concerned about the carbon footprint of the products they buy than other supermarket customers, according to research.

A survey of 966 people by Ipsos Mori found that when asked which they considered more important, low prices or the carbon footprint of products in a supermarket, 33% of Sainsbury's shoppers opted for the carbon footprint. Just 15% of Asda customers rated the carbon footprint most important.Tesco and Morrisons customers answered 16% and 17% respectively for carbon footprint.

When asked to rank factors important to them when shopping - excluding price, location and product range - 64% cited locally sourced food.

"People are displaying a growing environmental conscience and care where the products they buy are coming from," said Gill Aitchison, CEO of Ipsos Mori's marketing specialism. "This creates a win-win situation for supermarkets because they can be seen to have a positive carbon footprint while supporting local producers. "

However, low prices were deemed more important overall by 49% of customers at Sainsbury's, 68% at Asda, 71% at Tesco and 74% at Morrisons.