ABSTRACT
Controversies in food and agricultural marketing have a consumer dimension, especially when they involve issues such as food scares, pollution, food miles and animal welfare. These effects become manifest in consumers’ attitudes, which provide a valuable means for evaluating past events and predicting future behaviour. This chapter uses a longitudinal data set related to consumer attitudes about various contentious issues in UK food and agricultural marketing to offer some insights and managerial implications. The key results reveal that consumers perceive several livestock and poultry products as too expensive though, conversely, many consumers are willing to pay a premium for products that ensure animal welfare. Despite EU policy encouraging more environmental responsibility, many consumers believe farmers use too much pesticide and contribute to pollution.
