They say they care about health and nutrition but don't read labels.

They say they care about cost but don't check the prices. Those were some of the results of consumer research commissioned by Bord Bia and presented last week at its Food & Drink Industry Day.

Around 62% of consumers in the Republic of Ireland don't check unit pricing, compared to 51% in Britain. Consumers in the Republic also named health and nutrition most often as the biggest influence on their buying decisions (37%), but 44% of Irish shoppers rarely or never read the nutrition labels.

When they do, the research found that the most common item looked for was fat, followed by salt.

Bord Bia's industry day brought out nearly 200 representatives from a range of Irish suppliers from small operators to major agri-businesses, taking advantage of the opportunity to meet up with Bord Bia staff from overseas offices in the US, Britain and as far afield as East Asia to find out about trends in those markets.

Some 230 meetings were held, which Bord Bia said was up 60% on a similar event last year. A Bord Bia spokesperson described the event as "speed dating" for Irish food producers.