British food tops trust rankings, but knowledge gap remains

British food is more trusted than the NHS, tap water and energy suppliers, according to new research, although most shoppers remain unclear about how it is produced.

Red Tractor’s 2026 Trust in Food Index found that 94% of UK consumers trust British food. The annual study was carried out by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 3,514 UK adults.

Confidence in British food has remained consistently high since the index was launched in 2021, with the latest findings showing UK food now leads all other institutions measured in the survey.

Trust in NHS care fell from 90% to 88% since 2024, while trust in tap water dropped from 90% to 85%. Trust in gas and electricity suppliers fell from 77% to 69%, and confidence in local government services declined from 90% to 83%.

UK food was the only category to increase since 2024, rising by one percentage point.

For farmers, the findings suggest strong public support for British food production, but also highlight the need to explain more clearly how food is produced and what assurance schemes mean in practice.

The research also found weaker confidence in imported food. More than a third of consumers, 37%, said they were not confident that imported food meets UK standards, while 53% said products that fall short of UK welfare rules should be banned.

Trust in British farmers was also high, at 80%.

However, nearly half of consumers, 49%, said they doubted whether the UK could produce enough food to sustain itself. A further 18% said they had no confidence in domestic food self-sufficiency.

The survey found that freshness, UK origin labelling and assurance certification were among the main reasons consumers trust UK food.

Third-party assurance has seen the sharpest growth as a trust factor, rising from 54% in 2022 to 74% in 2026.

Richard Cattell, director of market development at Red Tractor, said: “Consumers want independent verification, not just claims, and they actively look for proof that standards are being met.”

He said the growth in trust for assurance certification showed shoppers were taking “a more informed approach to their purchasing decisions”.

Despite high trust levels, the survey found a clear gap between confidence and understanding.

Red Tractor said 93% of consumers lacked understanding in at least one aspect of food production, while 87% reported confusion at the point of purchase.

Philippa Wiltshire, deputy chief executive and director of standards and operations at Red Tractor, said: “Trust matters, but it is not enough on its own.”

“If consumers are going to back British farming, they need clearer understanding of what sits behind the food they buy and the standards farmers work to deliver every day,” she said.

The Trust in Food Index is an annual YouGov study commissioned by Red Tractor and Grounded Research.

Now in its sixth year, it tracks public attitudes to food, farming and food standards.