Every year, consumer trust in food products declines.  According to the Nielsen’s Global Health & Wellness Survey,  44% — or nearly half of the people in the United States and Canada — distrust manufacturers claims on their food labels and packaging.   While this suggests broader issues with our food industry, savvy marketers leverage this distrust and focus on increasing their own brand’s trust.  That’s because savvy marketers know that trust is a critical strategic asset, and because trust increases sales.

People buy from Brands they Trust

“You can have all the facts and figures, all the supporting evidence, all the endorsement that you want, but if at the end of the day you don’t have trust, you won’t get anywhere.”   Niall FitzGerald, Chairman Unilever

While trust may seem like a warm and fuzzy concept— it delivers cold, hard results to your business, brand, and bottom line.   That is because studies have consistently shown that there are strong connections between trust in a brand and its sales. 

Increasing Trust Increases Sales.

“ Sales are directly linked to trust.”  Edelman, Trust Barometer Report, 2009
Edelman, a leading PR firm that tracks trust, stated in their 2009 edition of the Trust Barometer report that sales are directly linked to levels of trust.  The more trust your brand commands, the more sales your brand makes.

Given the graphic representation above of attitudes and consumer behaviors, it is equally apparent that trust is vital to forming an enduring buyer/seller connection.   However, as product choices multiply in the marketplace, harnessing and building a firm foundation of trust will become even more vital to sales.  As the Harvard Business Review suggests, building brand trust and confidence is a “critical strategic asset” in sales as consumer choice increases, and the consumer is tasked with making purchasing decisions among similar items. 
Therefore, increasing brand trust is crucial not only to initial sales conversions but also to ensure that your consumers choose your brand time and time again.

Third-Party Food Certifications Increase Brand Trust

Studies by Cone Communications and Globescan suggest that the majority of consumers agree that the best way to verify a product’s claims are through independent third party certification, and consumer studies suggest that more than 76% of consumers agree that independent certifications increase their trust in a brand. 

To understand why Third Party Certifications are able to impart a level of trust that other on-package claims and testimonials simply cannot click here.
Most Third-Party Certification Organizations cover what are known as “credence qualities”, or attributes that cannot be verified by the consumer by visually inspecting a product.   For example, you might be able to tell a beef is fresh by looking at it,  but to tell if it’s grass-fed, humanely raised, or Organic, you need a certification mark.

Consumer-Forward Third-Party Food Certifications 

From the consumer standpoint, it can be a tedious and time-consuming task to make an informed decision on a product based on ingredient statements and packaging claims, alone.  However, certification improves credibility by offering consumers peace of mind knowing that the product has been independently verified by a regulatory agency to meet a specific set of standards, and food values.

As consumers are increasingly distrusting of on-package claims, while simultaneously making purchasing decisions to reflect social, political, and ethical values,  consumer-facing food certification labels are becoming more important than ever as a tool for communicating quality and values in the marketplace.  Luckily, that’s exactly what third-party certification organizations like the Paleo Foundation offer: a way to increase transparency, support claims, and help brands garner the value alignment — and trust— of consumers.

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