Think Twice Before Making Supply Chain Changes

What do consumers want? That question plagues many marketing officers across the food & beverage industry. The answer may be only slightly easier to decipher than the other age-old conundrum: what do women want.

Joking aside, restaurants and retailers are being approached by activist groups who claim to represent consumer interests, and who want companies to make changes to their practices. Do these activists represent your customers interests?

Consider the recent campaigns from animal rights activists that have exposed some contradictions in the marketplace.

These activists have been pushing restaurants and retailers to only buy higher-cost cage-free eggs by 2025. A number of companies have acceded to this demand. But do consumers want cage-free eggs? Their wallets say no. USDA data shows that about 85 percent of the eggs sold in this country come from hens housed in cages. Consumers are given the choice to buy cage-free or free-range eggs at supermarkets across the country. They…