Walk into a supermarket and it is easy to forget just how much has happened before a product reaches the shelf.

A packet of biscuits, a jar of sauce or a cup of coffee may look like a simple purchase. Behind it, however, is a chain involving farmers, ingredient suppliers, processors, manufacturers, logistics operators, retailers and many others.

New research commissioned by Nestlé UK & Ireland suggests that consumers are increasingly aware of this disconnect. While 57% of people surveyed said where their food comes from matters to them, almost a third said they feel more disconnected than ever from its origins.

Almost half said they would welcome more opportunities to learn about the people responsible for producing their food.

That raises an interesting question: how much do we really know about the journey from farm to finished product?

Part of the challenge is the modern food environment. Supermarkets offer consumers an enormous choice, much of it available throughout the year. Seasonal availability can become less obvious, while the complexity of international and domestic supply chains is largely invisible at the point of purchase.

The research found that 40% of respondents associated their disconnection with buying most of their food from supermarkets and rarely considering where it originated. Another 39% pointed to the availability of food all year round.

There is also a perception gap. Almost one in four people surveyed believed most food sold in Britain is imported, compared with Defra figures cited by the research showing that the UK produces 58% of the food it consumes.

Perhaps more revealing is what happens once the food reaches the table. Six in 10 respondents said they rush their meals, with one in 10 eating in less than five minutes.

Yet food remains much more than fuel. Seventy-eight per cent agreed that it plays an important role in bringing people together.

Nestlé’s Taste Trail is one attempt to make the supply chain more visible. Ultra-marathon runner Rob Pope is travelling 500 miles from Ayrshire to Brighton, stopping at farms, factories and communities along the way.

Whether a 500-mile run can change how people think about food is another question. But the underlying issue is worth considering.

The food industry has a story to tell about how products are grown, made, moved and consumed. The question is how much of that story consumers get to see.

• Rodney Jack, editor, Food & Drink Technology. Keep in touch via email: [email protected] X: @foodanddrinktec or LinkedIn: Food & Drink Technology magazine.