WASHINGTON – B2B (business-to-business) research firm Clutch released a new report showing that 70 percent of people surveyed expect grocery retailers to practice corporate social responsibility and 62 percent of people wanted restaurants to do the same.

Clutch surveyed 420 people from around the US who have made a purchase either in-store or online within the last six months.

 “With food, you’re putting those things in your body,” said Jen Bemisderfer, managing director of RH Strategic, a public relations agency in Seattle. “With clothing, you’re wearing it on your body or next to your body. It might seem that technology wouldn’t fit along these lines, but we treat smartphones today as an extension of ourselves.”

The Clutch report also asked people how food retailers should commit to corporate social responsibility. The top answer was giving back to feed local communities at 67 percent. Supporting local farmers came in second at 48 percent. Sponsoring local events and selling non-GMO foods were tied at 40 percent.

Similarly, 71 percent of people who say restaurants should commit to corporate social responsibility think restaurants should feed the local community.

Supporting local farmers came in second at 60 percent and recycling/composting was third at 58 percent. The final three options included selling non-GMO foods (41 percent), phase out non-recyclable plastic (38 percent) and sponsor local artists (31 percent).