Seven in ten Belgians consciously choose to buy Belgian food and drinks to support the local economy, according to a survey commissioned by the Federation of Belgian Food Companies (Fevia).
In a survey of 1,000 Belgians conducted by market researcher iVOX, 72% of respondents said they make an effort to buy Belgian food products. 61.5% say that Belgian products are a higher quality,and 56% saying they taste better than imported alternatives.
Customers also cited stricter standards around food safety and environmental concerns as reasons why they tend to opt for Belgian food products. Some 84% of respondents also agreed that buying Belgian products helps to support a sustainable food system.
When asked what Belgian products they purchase the most, some 65.7% of respondents said fruit and vegetables, followed by other fresh product staples of meat (50.2%) and bread and pastries (49.4%).
Also ranking highly on the list were typically Belgian food and drink: with some 46.4% saying they tend towards Belgian beers, and 43.1% buying Belgian chocolate.
Meanwhile consumers were less likely to "buy Belgian" when it came to ready meals (7.8%), "refreshing" drinks (7.9%) and potato chips/crisps (11.6%).
The survey noted that above all else, price is still the deciding factor on whether consumers choose to support local, chiming with results of a previous consumer survey conducted in 2020.
Fevia noted that while consumers consider health, sustainability and the origin of a food product important, they still "too often simply choose based on the price", with other considerations becoming secondary.
