How much more are consumers willing to pay for sustainable cuisine?

Chicago (November 14, 2011) – Consumers want and need to eat out, and the foodservice industry has a huge carbon footprint. Getting industry operators and consumers on the”green”bandwagon is necessary to minimize the impact that restaurants have on the environment in the future, but how willing are patrons to embrace this change? According to a recent Mintel report, just more than half (57%) of respondents are willing to pay more for local and sustainable fare; however, the majority of those are only willing to pay a mere 1-5% more.

“Green and sustainable attributes pale in comparison to the leading restaurant decision drivers of menu selection, prices and convenient location,”notes Eric Giandelone, foodservice director at Mintel. “However, these initiatives support the leading attributes to help a restaurant stand apart and will become more important as the green movement continues to progress. “

When deciding where to eat, 74% of patrons based their decision on menu selection followed by pricing and convenient location at 69% and 67%, respectively. Local/organic ingredients and sustainable ingredients lagged severely behind with only 7% of people saying that drove them to a restaurant.

Going green and using local ingredients aren’t the only issues restaurants are facing today. For corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, patrons place the greatest importance on living wages. When Mintel respondents were asked to rate their top three CSR initiatives they named living wages, local ingredients and company-provided medical insurance.

” employee treatment is considered a leading CSR initiative in the restaurant industry,” adds Eric Giandelone. “Despite the fact that those aged 18-24 are generally more in tune with green and sustainable initiatives, living wages rank as more important for older consumers. “

So, which part of the US is the greenest? According to Mintel, the West is best. The West has traditionally been a hotbed for healthier lifestyles and related culinary trends. Although still a small percentage of patrons are impacted, local or organic ingredients are particularly of interest to those living in Western states (11% versus 7% of the Northwest and only 4% of the Midwest).