Great tasting, high quality, and natural products such as Irish butter score consumer high-five when eating out

A newly released consumer survey reveals exactly what customers want when eating out this Easter. It found:

• 89% agreed that Irish butter has an amazing reputation for both taste and quality.
• Nearly all of us (90%) prefer butter to margarine when eating out due to its superior taste
• 77% prefer butter to margarine because it is considered better quality
• Nearly all – 91% said clean labelled goods were either important or very important to them when eating out.

The research shows consumers are loving five key attributes about the superior taste, better quality and natural elements of Irish butter.

(Source – survey results of 275 consumers aged 18-75, November 2021)

Consumer High Fives include:

TASTE of butter is preferred over other spreads

WHOLESOME GOODNESS of pure Irish creamy milk preferred

TRUST is extremely high for branded products

WRAP IT UP individually for both hygiene and safety

IRISH food brands represent high quality in an establishment

Taste remains top priority

Nearly all of those who responded to the survey chose butter over margarine, stating they preferred it due to superior taste (90%), better quality (77%), and because it is a natural product (75%).

A large majority – 89% – of those who expressed an opinion, agreed that Irish butter has an amazing reputation for both taste and quality and indeed, The Craft Guild of Chefs recently awarded its approved product accreditation to Lakeland Dairies salted and unsalted Pure Irish Butter for its great taste.

Surging demand for natural and real

Consumers continue to fuel the burgeoning demand for natural and real food, driving forward the clean label trend, a preference for foods which only have natural ingredients in them. A whopping 91% of those surveyed said clean labelled goods were either important or very important to them when eating out.

Along with natural ingredients, a short ingredient list, natural flavours and recognisable simple ingredients are key parts of the clean label trend.

Butter is made with cream from the goodness of milk and is therefore a perfect fit for consumers demanding a natural product. This was reflected in the consumer survey which showed a majority of consumers (82%) preferred butter due to it natural qualities.

Jean Cattanach, Marketing Controller at Lakeland Dairies notes: “It’s fantastic to see consumers recognising the great taste and quality of Irish butter. Grass on the Island of Ireland is full of beta carotene, which has a natural yellow pigment. As our Lakeland Dairies’ cows are naturally grass-fed, this creates the wonderful yellow colour in our Pure Irish Butter.”

The consumer survey showed:

• 91% said ‘clean labelled’ foods were either important or very important to them
• 90% prefer butter to margarine when eating out due to its superior taste
• 89% of those who expressed an opinion agreed that Irish butter has an amazing reputation for quality and taste
• 77% prefer butter to margarine because it is considered better quality
• 72% prefer individually wrapped portions for hygiene and safety
• 62% trust branded butters and associate butter mostly with toast and teacakes
• 60% believe Irish butter represents a better quality of establishment

(Source – Lakeland Dairies consumer survey of 275 UK consumers aged 18-75, Nov 2021)

With a proud heritage in dairy farming, Lakeland Dairies is a 100% farmer-owned and managed Irish dairy co-operative, whose products are made from high-quality milk from the lush green pastures of its 3,200 family farms.

Download the survey infographic here https://bit.ly/3Cc2Qtx

For more information visit

Website: www.lakelanddairies.com/foodservice

Facebook: @lakelanddairiesfoodservice

Twitter: @lakelandFS

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